The Hive:
by littlecat358
Summary: Bella is the chosen queen of a hidden community thriving while the world around them crumbles. Edward is an outsider looking for salvation. Their connection is instant. The passion intense. Can they find what they need in each other? All-human
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, so this little ditty here popped into my head while listening to some thumping music one day last fall, which made me think of the movie scene from which it came. If you're curious go to youtube and check out "The Matrix Reloaded (2003) Zion Dance or click on the link on my profile.**

**I was trying to write the beginning angst filled chapters of 'Unplanned Perfection' and couldn't until I purged my f**ked up brain. So this is what came out.**

**I appreciate everyone who was patient with me to continue this. It needed some major editing and it may still not be perfect, b/c I am doing this unbeta'd and my grammar and punctuation are horrible. Please don't PM me to tell me that. I already know. ;oD**

**I know a lot of you who have me author alert are going to get this update, but I have to warn, if you are expecting this to be like UP or DiMD...don't. It's like nothing I've ever written. I am experimenting and going out of my comfort zone a little ****and it may not be for everyone.** It is a completely alternative universe and it is SMUT FILLED. If you are under 18, this is probably not appropriate. LOL.

**I'm really nervous about posting this so please be kind. :oD**

**No copyright infringment is intended for this story. All publicly recognized characters belong to SM.**

**~xoxoxoxo~**

The Hive: Chapter 1:

EPOV

I had heard stories of this place. Of the people who lived here. A gigantic warehouse, built into the side of a mountain. Steel, Iron, and Concrete.

They were savages; sexual deviants ruled by a sadistic pimp who thrived off their weaknesses. They were murderers and rapists, thieves, liars and drug addicts. But I had nowhere else to go. The world around me was falling apart. The city was crumbling and people were fleeing. My family and friends had all run away, leaving me to fend for myself.

And so I found myself standing in front of the gates of hell, hoping that they would take me in. There was a camera above the doors. It peered down at me as I spoke, begging for entrance. It felt like forever that I stood there before the doors were opened.

I picked up my duffel and entered the dark foyer. There was what looked like a security office to my left and two large men were glaring at me through the glass.

"You have a pass into the club.," I heard a feminine voice say. I turned and saw a gorgeous caramel haired woman walking towards me from a darkened doorway on my right. She was dressed in a knee length fitted black skirt and an ivory colored silk blouse with high black heels. She couldn't have been much more than forty.

"You'll have to be approved beyond that," she explained. "We'll hold on to your bag until a decision has been made."

I nodded and handed my bag to one of the big guys from the security office who was now standing at my side. He set it down roughly.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" He asked.

"No."

"Arms out, legs spread," he ordered. I did as I was told and he frisked me before nodding and disappearing with my bag.

"This way, Laurent will take you in," the woman said, leading me to a door on the far side of the room.

When she opened the door I could hear the bass, beating through the walls. I felt a hand on my forearm and turned to see a guy, probably mid twenties, with olive skin and blond dreadlocks staring at me intently.

"I'm Laurent," he introduced himself in a thick French accent.

"Edward." I nodded.

The door behind us slammed shut and I followed Laurent through a dark hallway. He was dressed in tight leather pants and an even tighter black t-shirt. He was muscular and tattoos covered both arms all the way down to his wrists.

"You'll have free reign of the club tonight, but if you cause any trouble there will be consequences," he warned. "We have cameras everywhere. From the looks of you, I have no doubt you'll find a place to sleep tonight, but you'll be expected in the boss's office tomorrow for judgment."

He opened the door at the end of the hallway and I instantly felt the tribal beats thumping through my body. The air smelled like cloves and sweat and a little bit like sex. We walked into the room and it was pulsating with people. Hundreds of bodies were moving to the music.

"Fantastic no?" Laurent grinned at me.

I didn't have any words for what I was seeing. In the center of the room was a giant concrete pillar standing about twenty-five feet high. On the top of it was a roaring fire. Four other identical pillars stood towards each corner of the room. There was what appeared to be a bar towards one wall and a DJs booth against the other.

"Who are all these people?" I asked, scanning the room.

There were shirtless men and scantily dressed women everywhere. Hot women. And the way they were moving was making my dick twitch.

"Scavengers. The broken, the beaten, and the damned. We all have our stories." He sighed. "Keep your hands to yourself unless invited. Many are coupled and don't take kindly to newcomers. We're…..very protective of our own."

"How will I know?" I asked.

"The singles will find you. Of that, I have no doubt."

I stood next to Laurent just watching.

I saw her out of the corner of my eye. In a room packed full of people swaying and grinding I shouldn't have noticed her, but I did. She was tiny. Dressed up like some sort of Goth doll. Her dark brown hair was in two little buns on the top of her head. Her eyes were shrouded in heavy charcoal on the lids and lined jet black. She had a tiny diamond stud in her nose and viperbites on either side of her lower lip, which was coated in blood red lipstick. She wore a leather choker with some sort of silver charm around her neck and a tight red strapless corset top that was pushing her breasts up and almost over along with a short black skirt. Black gloves with the fingers cut off reached to her elbow, and fuck me, the socks she was wearing nearly did me in. Thigh high red and black striped socks attaching underneath her skirt by black garters and covered at the bottom by calf length military style boots. She moved erotically, but she wasn't dancing. She was watching. She touched her collarbone with a delicate finger, her nails painted a jet black. I saw her breathe in, bite her lip, and trail her hand down the side of her body, grazing the inside of her thigh.

I was fucking harder than titanium.

"Who. Is. That?" I asked Laurent, refusing to remove my eyes from her for fear of losing her in the crowd. I didn't have to look at him to hear the smirk in his voice.

"That, my dear boy, is your worst nightmare."

I finally glanced at him and I was right, he had a huge grin on his face.

"Or the most sensual, erotic dream you could possibly imagine," he purred.

"Who is she?"

"Miss Bella," he said rolling his tongue.

"Bella?"

"Mmmhmm."

"And why is Miss Bella so intriguing?" I asked adjusting myself.

He looked down at my crotch and laughed.

Yeah, my erection could probably be spotted from the moon at this point.

"The girl can make a gay man cum with just the words out of her mouth or the slightest movement of her body. She…..is sex personified. Regardless of your flavor."

I got the distinct impression that he was speaking from experience and at that very moment, I didn't doubt a word. The way he was looking at her made me feel like I was interrupting something extremely intimate.

Bella began moving through the crowd and what I saw completely shocked me.

Men and women who were dancing reached out to touch her as she passed. They weren't gropes, per say, but more reverent in nature. Like they were worshiping her.

"Why are they all touching her?"

Laurent hummed. "They say that even the slightest bit of contact is the strongest aphrodisiac on the planet. One stroke and you'll see stars for a week."

I furrowed my brow and looked at him. "What?"

"It's quite difficult to explain. She's a goddess in our world."

I was having a hard time justifying what he was saying in my head. The girl he was talking about couldn't have been more than sixteen. I felt disgusted with myself for even getting hard around her, much less, because of her. How could a child be a Goddess of sex and sexuality?

"And how old is Miss Bella?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"She's very picky," he sighed.

"That's not what I asked," I growled, not appreciating the fact that he was insinuating that I would actually touch a child.

"She's eighteen." He smiled.

"Bullshit!"

I wasn't about to believe that. He was fucking with me.

"God's truth," he said, tapping his heart with his fingers. "She turned eighteen last week. Daddy threw her a big party."

"Daddy?"

"Mr. Swan. He, uh, owns this….joint."

"And what does Daddy think of his little girl's 'sexual goddess' status?" I asked a little tersely.

"Oh, he thrives on it. He's the one who discovered it," Laurent laughed.

"That's fucked up," I said, my jaw nearly hitting the floor.

"Hmmmm."

"You said she's picky?" I probed. Now that I knew the girl was legal, I needed to know how to get to her.

He looked me up and down, lingering on my crotch again. My dick was still fucking raging so I had no doubt he saw it.

"What are you packing?" He asked smugly.

"I'm not gonna show you if that's what you're asking," I snapped.

"Oh, honey, I don't expect you to whip it out right here. I just need to know that if I make a recommendation that my baby's not going to be disappointed."

"She won't be," I assured.

He raised his eyebrows at me expectantly. I sighed loudly, but grabbed my dick, making sure he could see the outline. I'm not gonna lie, my cock is fucking fantastic; extra long and extra thick. I just hoped that I wouldn't break her.

"Not. Good. Enough." Laurent smirked.

"Fucking hell," I groaned. Raising my arms up in surrender. He reached down and grabbed me, sliding his hand from my balls all the way to the tip and squeezing. I grimaced and would have completely deflated if it hadn't been for the vision standing in front of me.

Not ten feet away stood the goddess herself, staring at me. Our eyes met briefly before she lowered them towards the floor, biting her lip and looking back up at me through her long eyelashes. I saw her tongue dart out, slightly caressing one of her viperbites as she watched Laurent assess me.

His head tilted as he looked up at her. He let me go almost instantly and a coy smile spread across her face.

She moved, and everyone else moved around her. It was like they were one being. When she breathed, they breathed. But she was moving, towards me. And I _wasn't _breathing.

The closer she got, the thicker the air became. And then she was in front of me. I towered over her, even with her heeled boots; but she was dominating me in the most primitive way. My body was rigid and my dick was throbbing. She opened her mouth slightly and began raking her eyes over me, starting at my feet. As she worked her way up I could see her body writhing slightly. It was almost like she was having sex, but her movements were restricted as though she were controlling herself. I watched her breaths become pants and just before her gaze reached my face, she closed her eyes. Her head tilted back and her mouth opened, letting out little whimpers.

"What the fuck?" I whispered.

"She likes you." Laurent gasped followed by a low moan.

I tore my eyes from Bella face to look at him. His head was thrown back and he was grunting loudly. Her tiny hand was wrapped around his forearm. She leaned into him and his body convulsed a little. The fucker had just cum; from nothing more than her touch.

She smiled at him as his breathing slowed.

"Thank you," he panted.

"Your reward," she stated simply, letting go of his arm.

Her voice was like an angel's, soft and gentle. She met my eyes again and smirked.

And then she walked away.

"What just happened?" I growled.

"Weren't you listening? I just got my reward for finding _you._ I suggest you follow her. She hasn't asked anyone to be with her for over four months and after the gift she just gave me, I have no doubts that you are about to be a very happy man."

I looked back towards Bella who continued to walk away. Her pace was slow, but she wasn't going to wait.

Without another word, I left Laurent and was behind her in an instant. The faces around me were filled with desire and jealousy.

I reached for her arm.

"Stop!" she snapped. "Don't touch me."

I didn't understand. Laurent had pretty much told me that she wanted to fuck me. So why couldn't I touch her?

"Not here," she said, as if reading my mind.

She led me through a doorway, into a dark hall and up a set of stairs. On the landing was a couple actively going at it. The woman was up against the wall with her skirt around her waist. The guy was pounding into her mercilessly, his pants around his ankles. I saw his hand reach out to the side, his movements never halting and Bella grabbed it lightly before letting go again. At that moment, the fucking couple both screamed out in what I could only assume was absolute ecstasy.

I continued to follow Bella up more stairs, still hearing the couple's cries. The whole situation was really fucking freaky. A girl who could give orgasms with a simple touch? Was that why she didn't want me to grab her? She was afraid that I would blow my load and not be able to get her off?

We reached another landing and she opened the door. We entered into another huge room with ceilings that had to be a good hundred feet high. My mouth gaped. It looked like a combination between a beehive and a harem.

"What is this?" I asked in complete awe.

"This is where we live," she stated simply.

That's when I realized what it was. There was no natural lighting. Instead, the whole room was lit by thousands of lanterns. There were blankets and tapestries of every size and color hanging around the walls.

Bella led me towards another staircase, this one open to the room. There were several levels and as we passed them I could see past some of the blankets. They were bedrooms, but not typical bedrooms. The bass from the club below could be heard thumping loudly, almost as if there were speakers pumping into this space. Bella stopped momentarily and I heard the tell tale sounds of more people fucking. I glanced over and could see through one of the blankets as some big guy roared and shot his load all over the back of the blond he was taking from behind.

"Come on," Bella urged.

At the top of the staircase was a ladder. There were no other "bedrooms" up here, but I noticed that there was an old rusty elevator.

Bella winked at me. "Next time, we'll take the vater, but I promised Em and Rose I'd stop by and say hello," she said, stepping onto the ladder.

Em and Rose? I didn't know who that was, she hadn't said hello to anyone…oh. "The couple downstairs."

She smiled and nodded. I stepped on the ladder to follow her up and. . .

_Holy shit!_

As I looked up, I was found myself staring at her absolutely stunning red lace-covered ass. She got to the top and climbed through a little curtained doorway.

When I pulled myself up to my full height I was standing in a huge bedroom. The far wall was covered in iron bars from floor to ceiling, but towards the top they were draped with crimson and orange tapestries. On the floor was a king-sized platform bed which looked like it had been constructed by hand. It was littered with soft looking blankets and pillows. In the corner was a walled off room, but I couldn't see what was hiding behind it. There were trunks and chests against the other wall and a gigantic mirror, maybe ten by five, hung above them. All of the walls were draped in fabrics, probably to hide the concrete behind them.

"This is your room?" I asked stupidly.

"Uh huh," she answered, turning to face me.

"You live here by yourself?"

"Since I was twelve, yes," she said, taking a step towards me.

"Twelve? Where were your parents?"

"Charlie sleeps on the main level so he can keep track of who's coming and going. Are you done?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

I looked into her eyes and nodded slowly. Her shoulders rolled back provocatively, forcing her tits forward and her whole body seemed to be pulsing.

"Come here," she whispered, crooking her finger at me.

I couldn't help but obey. I hadn't touched her yet and I was dying to. Although, after what I had seen her do, I was a little nervous about what would happen when I did.

I stood in front of her, waiting. Her tongue flicked out and I couldn't resist anymore. I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards me, attacking her plump lips with mine.

It felt like a bolt of lightening was shooting through me. I whimpered and tried to let go, but she wouldn't let me. Her hands were grasping at my hair, tugging me closer to her. Her soft tongue pushed forward into my mouth and wrapped itself around mine.

I didn't instantly orgasm as I expected, as everyone else who touched her seemed to, but I felt my dick swell to epically painful proportions. I grabbed her ass and ground myself against her, desperate for friction.

Bella reached down to unbutton my jeans. There was instant relief as she pushed them down a little and away from my bulge, but it still felt like my dick was about to explode. I had to get some relief…..and fast.

I lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around me, boots and all. I walked us backwards towards her bed, laying her down. I wanted to take my time and undress her properly, but I just fucking couldn't. I was in danger of being permanently maimed. I ripped my shirt up over my head, struggled to kick my boots off and then shoved out of my jeans. As I tugged my boxers down my legs I saw her slip her panties down her legs and over her boots. She didn't bother with the rest of her clothes, obviously sensing my urgency.

"I'm sorry," I panted, staring down at her. I was completely naked and she was completely dressed, sans panties, but I was just too desperate.

"Don't be," she said softly.

I was hovering over her. She placed her feet flat and spread her legs, her beautiful pink pussy ready and waiting for me.

"Oh God, I don't want to hurt you," I cried.

"You won't," she moaned, tilting her hips upwards. She reached down and grabbed my cock, positioning me at her entrance. I had to close my eyes tightly as she touched me so I wouldn't cum like a fifteen-year-old. I felt the leather of her boots against my lower back as she wrapped her legs around me again and then she pushed down violently forcing me into her.

"Ahhhhhhhh Fuuuuuuuuck," I groaned as the warmth of her pussy drew me in.

"Uhhhhhhh," she moaned. " Soooo good."

She was so fucking tight that I didn't want to move for fear of either tearing her up or cumming too quickly. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, she had other ideas.

She lifted her butt up off the bed and arched her back. She was resting on her shoulders and her boots dug into me, burying me to the hilt. When she lowered herself back down I felt it, the electricity. It was growing.

"You have to move," she whispered.

So I did. I started out slow, watching myself as I pulled out almost all the way and then pushed back into her. She was mewling and writhing and crying. I began moving faster.

The room was spinning, but I couldn't stop.

"Harder," she gasped.

I obliged, thrusting into her as hard as I could over and over again. I was sure she would break in half, but her tiny body took everything I gave her. The tension was building. I couldn't breathe.

"Ah, Ah, Ah. Ah," she cried out as I slammed into her with every beat of the music below.

She was getting close and my dick couldn't take anymore. I felt her tighten and her hands shot out to her side, clawing at the sheets. Her back arched again and she was falling and then I saw nothing but white light. I roared and snarled as my release took over me. The bed was shaking violently as I pulsed inside of her. It wouldn't end. The pleasure was so overwhelming, I was sure I was dying. I couldn't move. I was holding onto her hips and she was still squeezing my cock and I continued to spurt long after I was sure that I was completely empty.

Finally, I began to focus and I collapsed on the bed next to her, pulling her with me so I wouldn't have to leave the warmth of her body. I wanted to wait until I softened before I pulled out, but it didn't happen. I was still fucking hard as hell. We both continued panting heavily. I rested my forehead against hers and felt her graze her lips against mine as she smiled.

"For the love of Christ, what the hell was that?" I begged.

"That," she giggled lightly. "Was round one."

**~xoxoxoxo~**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hiya. Some of you read this chapter before I took it down, but for those who haven't here it is. I have made some small changes. **

**AGAIN. This chapter is full of sex and probably inappropriate sexual situations. Don't let it surprise you. LOL. It's extremely NC-17. **

~xoxoxoxo~

Chapter 2:

I stared at her, not quite sure if she was serious or not. I had just pounded the shit out of this girl. I was still inside of her and she was ready for another go? I looked down to where we were joined.

_Apparently __**I'm** ready._

"Give me a minute?" she asked almost innocently.

I had no words. I simply nodded. She pulled away from me and I hissed as I slipped out of her. Shit, whatever happened to recovery time? Not that I was complaining, but goddamn. I'd just had the most explosive orgasm of my life, but according to my dick, I was nowhere near finished.

I watched her as she walked away from me towards the walled off area in the corner.

I instantly wanted her back. No, I _needed_ her back. I lay there, looking at the ceiling; my arms resting behind my head, and tried not to count the seconds until she came back to me.

What felt like hours later I heard her clear her throat and my eyes snapped open, searching for her. She was standing next to the bed looking down .

_Fuck me._

Now she really looked like a fucking goddess. She had taken her hair down and it flowed down her back and curled around her sides. She had washed her face and was now looking at me through unmarked eyes. Her skin was pale, so pale that it almost glowed in the lantern light. She had dark brown eyes and a couple of freckles littered her nose and cheeks.

I sat up quickly, taking her hand and helping her back into the bed. She sat down next to me, still fully dressed; almost. She removed her boots and then pulled her stocking covered feet underneath her.

I leaned into her, kissing her clean lips and swiping my tongue over her viperbites.

"Your name?" she whimpered.

"Edward," I responded quietly, kissing her jaw.

She didn't offer me her name. I guess she assumed that Laurent had told me. Thank God he had.

Resting my hand against her neck, I leaned her back towards the bed again.

She unfolded her legs and allowed me to crawl back on top of her. I sat, straddling her, my dick resting precariously close to her entrance as I reached for one of her arms. I slowly peeled off the glove, kissing the tips of her fingers. When I was finished, I repeated the action with her other one.

Her corset tied in the front and I reached for the laces that were holding her in. Loosening them, I pulled the ends through each little hole until I had completely removed the lace. I peeled the corset away from her body, revealing her perfect pale breasts to me for the first time.

I had never seen anything so glorious. Leaning back in, I rested one hand on the bed next to her ear and the other on the bottom of her ribcage.

"You're so beautiful," I whispered, kissing the hollow of her neck and dragging my mouth downwards across her collarbone.

Her body shifted under me and I looked up into her eyes. She was watching me, completely fascinated, with a gentle smile on her face.

She looked so ingenuous that I almost felt guilty for what I was doing. But this girl was not naive. She knew exactly the power that she held over me at that moment. I was being allowed to explore her body because she wanted me to.

I dipped my head and ran my nose across the tip of her right nipple, relishing the sound of her breath hitching. My tongue darted out and flicked at the little bud before I sucked it into my mouth. She moaned loudly as I repeated my efforts on her left one.

She rolled her hips against me, reminding me that I still had work to do. I wanted her naked this time. Completely bare.

I shifted myself down so that I was kneeling with her feet between my thighs. She didn't seem to mind my hardness resting against her shins so I felt no compulsion to adjust it. I kissed my way down her ribcage and across her navel. I hooked my fingertips into the waistband of her skirt and slowly slid it down her legs. She still had her garter belt on and I unclipped it, sending it flying over the side of the bed.

She laughed, making her breasts bounce and I was momentarily distracted.

But there was so much more to explore.

Finding focus again, I kissed from her bellybutton down to her pubic bone, burying my nose in her tiny little patch of hair and taking a long lick of her slit before placing my lips on her inner thigh. She gasped and bucked her hips up towards my face. I looked up at her grinning devilishly. I heard a tiny growl escape her throat when she realized that I was teasing her.

I only had one more thing to remove. It was time to remove those fucksexy socks. Bella was beginning to vibrate and I could feel the sexual energy flowing from her every pore. I needed to get the socks off. Immediately.

I peeled them down her legs, kissing the undersides of her knees followed by her ankle bones. Bella began shaking and shuddering.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, genuinely concerned. She looked almost like she was in pain and for a moment I worried that I had actually done some internal damage. She bit her lip and closed her eyes.

"Once it starts, I can't control it," she gritted out. "I need you. Right now."

I had no idea what she was talking about. Once what started? I almost asked her but the look in her eyes when she opened them again was one of desperation.

"Please," she begged.

I couldn't deny her. She could have asked me to jump off a fucking cliff at that moment and I would have done it.

I scooted forward on my knees, between her legs, lifting her ass so that it rested on my thighs and slipping a pillow underneath her back. She was dripping with anticipation.

_Gorgeous._

I positioned myself in front of her again and groaned. It had been maybe ten minutes. How was it possible that I was aching for her? I pushed into her and felt the soft flesh of her calves against my ass. If I had ever thought that round two would be slower and gentler, I was really fucking wrong. The minute my cock was fully engulfed in her pussy all sanity left me. I was like a wild animal, marking my territory; claiming my mate. The harder I drove into her the more she cried out in ecstasy.

"Oh fuck, Bella!" I bellowed as I felt her insides quiver.

She was panting heavily and she grinned wickedly at me.

"You might want to hold on to something," she warned me.

I clenched my jaw together, trying to understand what she was saying to me. My thrusts were brutal, my pace relentless. I was going to end up killing her. Can someone be fucked to death? Cause I was pretty sure that was exactly what was about to happen.

She reached her hands above her, grasping the bars that were against the wall tightly.

"Edward!" she cried out.

It finally hit me what she wanted me to do. I reached up and grabbed a hold of the bars just above where her tiny hands were now turning white. I'm not sure what she was thinking because this only gave me more leverage as I slammed into her. I was vaguely aware of the pain shooting through my legs as a result of our position, but I didn't care.

Our breathing, moaning, crying, grunting, and the slapping of our skin as we connected filled the room. And we were there again. The electricity, energy, whatever the fuck it was, enveloped us.

Our eyes were locked and I knew it was coming. I could feel it. Like a pot about to boil over, a kettle about to scream, I couldn't have stopped it if I had wanted to.

My orgasm was just as intense, if not more so, than the first. She wasn't kidding. If I hadn't been holding on I would have completely lost my balance. She screamed at the top of her lungs. This was it. She was dying. I was literally killing her with my dick. I heard her suck in a huge breath of air. Her gaze pierced through me and she smirked.

I'm pretty sure I was staring into the face of the devil herself, the fallen angel, because she was silently begging me for more.

That's how it continued. I lost count of how many times. Each time was just as intense as the first. I took her everywhere; standing up, sitting down, lying down, kneeling, forwards, backwards, and nearly upside down. She showed me no mercy. My desire for her never lessened. My head was swimming. Time was non-existent. I would have wondered if I had been drugged, but I hadn't had anything to eat or drink. Not that I can remember anyway. We were in our own little world; and I never wanted to leave.

~xoxoxoxo~

I rolled away from her, sweat pouring off my forehead. Her sheets were soaked with our bodily fluids and they were beginning to get uncomfortable.

"Enough!" Bella cried out. "Shower. Food. Sleep."

"Shower?"

She laughed. "We don't smell very good, Edward. It's time."

Funny, all I could smell was sex and it wasn't unpleasant at all.

I watched her as she stood up, grabbing a short sapphire blue robe from a hook on the wall and wrapping it around her nakedness. She slipped across the room and out the door. I had no idea what she was doing. Was I suppose to follow her? Before I could even move, she had returned. She reached out her hand for me and led me towards the back corner of the room; the walled in area that I had not yet been behind.

It was a motherfucking bathroom. Toilet, sink, bathtub and shower. It wasn't extravagant, industrial would be a good description. It was mostly made of concrete, stainless steel and glass. At that moment, however, it looked like fucking heaven.

She let go of me and turned on the shower head. It was then that I realized that I hadn't taken a piss since I'd arrived. And I had no idea how long that had been.

Bella stepped into the shower while I relieved myself and then joined her. I wrapped my arms around her torso, feeling her slick skin as the water rushed over it. I placed an open-mouth kiss on her shoulder and she tilted her head to give me access to her neck. My hands explored her hips, her navel and her ribcage before gliding them over her breasts, massaging them gently and flicking my thumbs over her nipples.

"Edward," she moaned.

"Bella," I whispered in her ear.

I wanted her again.

Will this feeling ever stop?

"No," she said, shuddering and pulling away. "I've already kept you from your judgment too long."

_My judgment? Oh right, the woman who let me in said something about that._

"That's not until tomorrow morning," I mumbled trying to pull her to me again.

She started laughing. "That was yesterday morning Edward. You've been here for nearly two days."

_What the fuck?_

"Two days?"

She bit her lip and looked at me shyly. "I've been distracting you. Charlie's going to be angry."

"On purpose?" I wondered out loud.

She shook her head. "I….I've never felt it that intense before. I wanted to see what would happen."

"You do that regularly?"

I wasn't sure if I really wanted an answer to my question.

"No," she whispered. "Not that. That…..that was something new." She looked down and shook her head. " That was amazing."

I stared at her.

"Wait. We were fucking for two days straight?" My mouth gaped open. I had just processed that bit of information and I was fucking shocked.

_How is that even possible?_

"Uh, thirty-eight hours." She smiled, sticking her tongue out slightly between her teeth. She looked like a little girl who had just been caught doing something very naughty. She was pleased with herself. I gazed at her mouth. Her perfect, wet mouth.

Oh, God.

Bella lifted herself up onto her tippy toes and began massaging my scalp. The smell of petuli filled the steamy box as she washed my hair. I went to return the favor and as I was just about to start massaging the shampoo into her hair she sank to her knees.

"This will make it easier," she offered.

"No. No, doll, I'm pretty sure that's going to make it harder," I groaned as my dick twitched. It had never fully deflated, but with her on her knees, I was there again. Fuck.

She giggled and then took me into her mouth. I'm not sure how well her hair actually got washed, but she didn't seem too concerned about it as she sucked down my cum. How I had anything left in me was astonishing.

She finished up with her own hair and we dried each other off with the towels that were hanging up against the wall.

When we exited the bathroom, I had to stop. The bed had been made with new sheets and two trays full of food were lying on top of them. My duffle was sitting on the floor at the bottom of the bed.

"What?…Who?"

"Emmett and Jasper. My bodyguards," she shrugged.

I knew that she was meaning for that to be an explanation, but it just created new questions. What the fuck did she need bodyguards for?

"Eat and sleep," she said pointing to the food and the bed. "We have to be at Charlie's in ten hours and you're going to need your energy for judgment."

There it was again, '_judgment_'. I had just fucked the man's teenage daughter six ways to Sunday for thirty-eight hours. Shit. I was in trouble.

I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I put that first forkful of food into my mouth. I had no idea what it was, but it was fucking delicious. I inhaled the rest, including a cup of black coffee and nearly a gallon of water. Bella ate carefully, watching me and occasionally snickering at my disgusting display of gluttony.

When we were both finished she beckoned me to join her under the fresh sheets. She was facing me and I wrapped my still naked body around hers, relishing in her softness. Within minutes I was asleep.

~xoxoxoxo~

"I'm not waking her up, you wake her up."

"Shit, she's gonna be pissed either way."

"Hey, wake him up. Let him do it."

Voices. Really fucking annoying voices.

"Dude. Dude, wake the fuck up." I felt my shoulder being violently shaken.

"What?" I growled.

I had no idea who was shoving my shoulder, but I was about to punch him the fuck out.

"Get up. You've been asleep for almost ten hours."

"So what," I mumbled. I could feel Bella's naked body against mine, our legs entwined. I pulled her closer to me.

"Shit! You're supposed to be down in the bosses office in ten minutes."

I bolted upright to see one guy standing over me and another at the end of the bed. The one at the end licked his lips and was staring intently at Bella. I turned around and saw that she was uncovered down to her waist. She was on her side, facing me and her arm was just barely covering her breast.

"Get the fuck out of here!" I seethed, reaching for the pewter mug that had held my coffee and throwing it at his head.

He lifted his hands to defend against the flying object and hesitated. I started to get up and they both headed for the doorway.

"Jesus, man. Chill out."

They disappeared through the curtain and left me alone with my sleeping goddess. I laid back down and stared at her beautiful face. She looked so young, so innocent like that. I didn't know who she was, not really. I knew every millimeter of her body inside and out, but I had no idea why she lived here.

I knew that her father ran the place and that she was worshipped by everyone, but had it always been like that? I didn't even know the basics. Her full name, her favorite color. Fuck!

I hoped that Laurent hadn't been lying about her age, because if he had I was pretty sure this Charlie dude was going to castrate me.

Bella stirred as I trailed my fingers down the pale skin of her back. Her eyes opened and she blinked slowly at me.

"Hi," she whispered groggily.

"Hi." I smiled.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. But those two douchebags outside said we had ten minutes to get downstairs."

"Shit," she said jumping up.

My mouth gaped as she started darting around the room, completely naked.

"Edward, you need to get dressed," she pleaded, stopping only momentarily to look at me. "Charlie's not a patient man."

I stood up and stepped towards her. She glanced down at my fully erect cock and moaned.

"We can't," she whimpered as I started backing her up towards the wall.

"We're already late," I employed.

I felt her body caving in to me. She was going to give in. I could feel it.

"Bella!" I heard a deep voice boom.

I turned just my head to see who was interrupting and saw a huge dark haired guy standing in the doorway. I tried to block Bella from view despite the fact that I, myself, was still naked, but she completely ignored me. She stepped away from me, glancing up apologetically.

"How could you let us sleep so long?" she asked almost angrily. I watched her step into some black lace underwear and a matching bra before slipping on a short purple skirt and a black tank top. The dude was still standing there watching her dress, but he didn't seem phased by it.

"Stupid fuckers," the guy at the door growled. "I left Mike and Tyler in charge for three fucking hours with explicit directions to wake you up by eight."

"What the hell were you doing for three hours?" she barked.

"Shit, Bella, you coat this place in massive quantities of sex for all that time, what do you think is gonna happen? I needed some relief."

"Edward!" Bella yelled. I was still standing where she had left me, completely confused.

"Baby, you gotta get dressed," she said, kicking my duffel. "Going into judgment undressed is _not_ a good idea."

I think she was entirely serious. I turned around, now only semi-erect, and grabbed my bag.

I heard the big guy cough and when I looked up at him he had a huge grin on his face.

"What?" I snapped.

"Oh, that was a complimentary cough, my brother. No wonder she hasn't needed anything for two days. This place has been fucking vibrating."

"Shut-up, Emmett!" Bella growled as she slid on some black thigh high socks and reached for her boots.

So this was Emmett. Well, I suppose it was only fair he saw my dick since I not only saw him naked, but I watched him blow his load as well. I'm assuming he hadn't seen me do that, but he probably could have been watching us the whole time and I wouldn't have noticed.

"Where's Jasper?" Bella asked.

"Waiting at the vator."

As I dressed quickly in a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt I saw Bella throw her hair up in a high ponytail and line her eyes with a black pencil. She pulled out a tube from a box on top of one of the chests and I watched her coat her lips in black. So my little goth doll was back. I had barely gotten my shoes on when Bella grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room, down the ladder and towards the elevator.

Another guy was standing with the door open.

_Jasper, her other bodyguard?_

He nodded at me in greeting and I saw him trying to hide a smile.

"You're going to need a little extra shade tonight," he said in a deep, but soft voice.

_Shade? What the fuck is he talking about? We're inside._

"I know," Bella sighed.

The elevator shook and groaned as it descended. When it stopped, the doors opened and I suddenly realized why Bella needed bodyguards.

There were people everywhere.

"We're going to need your help," Emmett said in my ear. "Walk directly behind her. Don't leave any space between your bodies and don't let anyone touch her."

Emmett and Jasper flanked her sides and a tall blond woman stepped up from just outside the elevator and stood in front of Bella.

"Thanks, baby," Emmett said, kissing her neck.

_Aha, the woman whose backside I saw get defiled. Rose, I think._

She turned her head slightly, smiling at Emmett and then looked at me. She smirked before turning back around.

When we stepped off of the elevator, Bella was completely encased by us. We were mobbed. People pressed up against me as we moved forward. They were trying to get to her. We moved quickly, as one unit. I didn't understand. When I had first seen her, she was alone. No bodyguards, no people trying to assault her. Yes, they asked for her touch, but this was completely different. What had changed?

I saw Emmett elbow a few guys in the gut as they tried to reach past him and Rose shoved her hand in several people's faces. One guy got past Jasper and I felt Bella instantly tense up as his hand wrapped around her upper arm. Jasper turned, without leaving his position and I heard the snap of the guys arm as he screamed in agony. I reached out and placed my hands on Bella's hips, trying to soothe her. I was instantly hit with an extreme wave of lust.

"Oh, God," Rose moaned and stopped walking.

"Edward!" Bella cried out. I could feel her shaking and Emmett turned to me.

"Take your hands off of her, man." He breathed in deeply. I looked at both him and Jasper. They were rigid and appeared uncomfortable.

I hesitated and saw Rose's back arch as she started to whimper.

"Seriously, Edward, as much as I would appreciate this at any other moment, we need to get her out of here and we're not going to be able to do that unless you stop touching her."

He was now gritting his teeth as though he were trying to stay in control.

The people surrounding us were beginning to get louder. They were moaning and crying out. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic and I swear I felt a few people grinding up against me.

I finally understood and let go of her. Bella and her three other bodyguards let out sighs of relief and the people surrounding us backed up enough for us to proceed forward.

No one else got past any of us and we reached a door on the far side of the room. Rose opened it and we all slid in before it was slammed shut behind us.

The second that I heard the click Jasper, Rose and Emmett peeled themselves from Bella's side.

"Jesus Christ!" Jasper muttered.

"No shit. What the fuck?" Rose's eyes were huge as she stared at me and Bella.

Emmett was standing behind her and I could see him ever so slightly pull her hips tightly against his own.

Bella looked up at me. Her eyes were sad and apologetic.

I put my finger under her chin and leaned towards her.

"What's the matter?" I whispered.

She shook her head and stuck her tongue out to flick at one of her viperbites. I wasn't sure if that was a nervous habit or sexual gesture, but the second she looked back up at me the sadness was gone and the mischievous smirk had returned.

I heard someone clearing their throat and looked towards the sound.

"Are you finished yet?" the raspy voice asked. "You're thirty-six hours late."

Sitting in the middle of the room in a big oversized chair was a guy, who appeared to be in his late thirties. He didn't look like anything special. He wasn't wearing a suit and he certainly didn't look like a pimp. He was wearing black cargo pants and a white short-sleeved button down. He had dark hair and a mustache with a slight beard.

Bella smiled at me and then walked towards him. She leaned over, flashing her gorgeous ass at me and everyone else standing in the room and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at her and winked.

"Charlie, this is Edward," she purred. " Edward, this is Charlie, my father."

Charlie looked up at me, clapped his hands together loudly and sneered.

"So, are you ready for your judgment, boy?"

~xoxoxoxo~

**AN: Just want to point out that there is absolutely NO incestuous situation in this story. Period! **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Oh boy. Here it is.**

**This is truly experimental writing for me. Please be kind. LOL.**

**Thank you to both Melee03 and 6dlb5 for pre-reading and making me feel better. :oD **

**There is violence and, of course, sexual content in this chapter.**

**Ready to meet Charlie?**

**~xoxoxoxo~**

Chapter 3:

"Charlie, this is Edward," Bella purred. " Edward, this is Charlie, my father."

Charlie looked up at me, clapped his hands together loudly and sneered.

"So, are you ready for your judgment, boy?"

_Oh Fuck!_

He stood up and I saw he had a gun in his waistband. Two huge guys flanked him immediately, each one sporting the same hardware.

Just behind him, barely noticeable, stood two young girls, probably not much older and certainly no bigger than Bella. They were dressed in camouflage cargo pants and black tank tops. One of them had strawberry blond hair that was pulled back into a tight ponytail, while the other had short black hair that stuck up all over the place. They looked hard-core, but they probably wouldn't have been threatening had they not been holding AK-47s.

My mouth was suddenly extremely dry. I glanced over at Bella who was looking fairly amused.

She wouldn't be smiling if something bad was going to happen, right?

Or had she just been playing with me?

Emmett was off to my right in the corner of the room practically humping Rose's leg. Jasper was on my left. His eyes were trained on one of the little girls with the massive weaponry.

No one was giving me any sort of hint as to what was about to happen.

I wanted to murder Bella. She hadn't prepared me for this at all. Of course, we hadn't actually done much talking, but she could have at least warned me that there would be weapons. I was unarmed; unprotected.

I looked back to Charlie and he was smirking at me.

"I was under the impression that we were supposed to meet yesterday morning," he said gruffly.

I cleared my throat. "I. . . uh, yes, sir, I didn't realize. . ."

"You were entertaining my daughter?"

I thought about it for a minute. Did he really not know what had happened in the last two days? It seemed as though everyone else did, so I could only assume he did as well.

"I was, sir."

"Are you fucking her?" he demanded.

I nearly choked on my own spit as I was attempting to swallow.

"What?"

"You heard me. Are. You. Fucking. Her?"

I looked over at Bella, hoping that she would rescue me in some way.

She was smirking at me. She was enjoying watching me squirm. I swore to myself that if I got out of that room alive and had a moment alone with her, she would pay for this.

"Bella and I have been getting to know each other," I explained, hesitantly. Not that I was ashamed of what we had done, but it was slightly awkward discussing what we were doing with her father of all people.

"That wasn't my fucking question," he barked.

He pulled his gun from his pants. It hung limply at his side, but I heard him cock the hammer. I honestly had no idea how to answer his question. If I answered honestly, he was sure to blow my head off, but if I lied. . . well, I had no idea what would happen if I lied.

And then she did it. She threw me a bone. I saw her head bob forward slightly in a nod.

"I am, sir. Or... I was."

I heard gasps and whispers all around me at my admission. Charlie's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. And then a huge grin spread across his face and he laughed. They were big booming laughs.

"You are the first fucker to come in here and actually admit to that," he choked. "That takes some fucking balls, boy."

He uncocked his gun and shoved it back into his pants.

I let out a sigh, but very quickly realized that any sort of relaxation was premature. Charlie wasn't done with me.

"Who are you?" he asked as he approached me. His hands were clasped behind his back casually and he began to circle. The two male bodyguards were no more than a couple of feet away, while the females with the assault rifles kept their distance.

"Edward."

"Not enough," he growled.

"Edward Anthony Masen."

"Masen huh?" he sneered.

"And how old are you, Mr. Masen?"

_Shit._

He was going to fucking kill me, but I didn't dare lie. I had been there for two days. I had a feeling he already knew everything about me.

"Twenty-five" I answered sheepishly, stealing another peek at Bella.

Her lips twitched as though she was going to smile, but she kept herself in check. Instead, she sat herself down on the arm of Charlie's chair. Her legs were on either side and she planted her hands down on the arm in front of her.

"Twenty-five? Do you know how old this little girl is?" He threw his arm backwards towards Bella.

"Eighteen, sir."

"Barely," he huffed loudly.

I couldn't help but let out a loud sigh of relief. Charlie noticed.

"Oh, were you actually questioning it, Mr. Masen?" he spit. "You openly pursued her and you weren't sure if she was actually a minor or not? You spent two days fucking her and you had no idea how old she actually was?" Charlie covered his face with his hand and turned away from me. He was shaking in anger.

"I didn't pursue her," I defended myself, as if that really made a difference. I hadn't really. She had come to me before I had even had a chance.

I heard Bella scoff and when I met her eyes, she looked a little bit insulted. Shit, I was pissing off the only person who would possibly defend me.

"Oh please, Mr. Masen, everyone pursues Isabella. She has no need to make the effort herself," he laughed.

I gazed at her, silently begging her to tell him that he was mistaken. That it had been her that had come to me. But she didn't. She stared a hole right through me. She was going to throw me to the fucking wolves. I angrily clenched my jaw together trying to keep myself under control.

"Why are you here, Mr. Masen?" he asked harshly.

"I was told that a judgement was necessary," I grumbled.

"Not in this room. Why are you _here? _What made you ask for entrance to begin with?"

I sighed. "I have nowhere else to go."

"And why is that?"

I looked up at Charlie. "Surely you must know."

He smirked at me. "I want to hear you say it."

I closed my eyes and shook my head. Bella was looking at me in confusion.

"I fucked up." I groaned.

"How?"

I scanned the room. Everyone was looking at me; watching me; studying me.

"I got caught."

"Doing what, Mr. Masen?"

"I was a mercenary. A hit man."

"Correction, Mr. Masen, you _are _a mercenary. Just because you are in hiding, it doesn't change who you are. A murderer."

I swallowed forcefully. "I'm not hiding because I'm afraid of punishment or retribution. I don't want to be that man anymore."

"You've killed hundreds of people. Men, women and children. Do you honestly think you can run away from that?"

"I'm not running away."

Charlie laughed cruelly. "Do you know where you are, Mr. Masen?"

I didn't answer him. I thought that perhaps he was asking a rhetorical question.

"They call us 'the Hive.' Do you know why?"

"No, sir," I answered.

"We are a self-sufficient colony. This is our nest. We work for one reason only. To survive. We do not allow our enemies to penetrate our home. There are so many who would love to destroy us. To take what we have created and make it their own. We very rarely venture out into that world. Your world; The world that is at war. They will destroy themselves and we will survive. We grow our own food, we use natural resources to supply us with whatever we need, and we breed."

Charlie looked back at Bella as he said this.

"And _she_ is our queen."

Bella's was watching us carefully; assessing my reaction. Charlie looked back at me.

"Have you mated?" he asked.

I wasn't sure how to answer that.

"I don't understand," I said shaking my head. We'd already established what I'd been doing to his daughter for the last two days.

"Did you have yourself a woman, Mr. Masen? One that you were about to pledge yourself to?"

I stood stock still. I should have known that he would have found out. Bella's head was tilted as she waited for my answer.

I closed my eyes and pursed my lips together. "Yes," I whispered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." Charlie barked.

"Yes," I said more forcefully.

His lips curled up in an evil grin and he snickered. "What happened to your her? Your fiancee?"

I was angry.

_Why is he doing this to me?_

"She died," I growled.

"How did she die?"

"Why do you keep asking me questions you obviously already know the answer to?" I snapped.

It happened so fast I almost missed it, but the feel of cold steel pressed against my temple told me I had pushed my luck too far. Looking up I saw that not only was Charlie's gun pointing at my head, but all four bodyguards were aiming directly at me. Bella did not look phased. If she were feeling anything at that moment, I couldn't tell.

"You need to learn some respect, boy. I have the power to end your life before the next beat of your heart. Now I'm going to ask you again, Mr. Masen, how did your woman die?"

"I fucking killed her," I choked. "Are you happy? I put a gun to her head and I pulled the fucking trigger. She was the target, I had no choice."

There was silence. No one spoke a word for what seemed like an eternity.

"Do you trust him, Isabella?" Charlie asked his daughter without looking away from me.

My heart began hammering in my chest. The cold steel of the muzzle dug painfully into my temple. I was afraid to breathe. I could see the guards shifting in anticipation. The little dark haired one's attention slipped as her gaze darted behind me.

I glanced at Bella. Her eyes met mine for the briefest of moments and I knew that I was done.

"No," she sighed.

Charlie cocked his gun.

I inhaled sharply and closed my eyes, waiting for the moment that it would all be over. That I could leave everything behind. But I would find no peace. I knew where I would be heading once he pulled that trigger. There would be no Heaven's gates for me. I would burn in hell, with all of my victims watching.

"But I want to."

Her soft voice was closer to me now. I almost felt it caress my skin. I opened my eyes slightly just as she was pushing Charlie's gun away from my head.

There was a click as Charlie pulled his arm away and put the gun back in his waist band once again. The guards also lowered their weapons.

Bella stood directly in front of Charlie, with her back to me. She was extremely close to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she leaned in, whispering softly into his ear. He looked up at me and his eyes narrowed. I had no idea what she was telling him, but from the look he was giving me, it couldn't have been good. She kissed him softly on the cheek and he nodded his head back towards the chair, indicating that she should return to her perch.

"We all make mistakes, Mr. Masen," Charlie said in an extremely controlled voice. "My daughter tells me you've taken good care of her. She seems to have a special interest in you and I have never denied her her toys."

I looked over at Bella.

Her gaze was intense and her body shifted forward on the arm of the chair.

"Isabella, stop!" Charlie suddenly bit at her.

"I can't," she replied desperately.

"Try," he growled.

It was then that I noticed what he was talking about. The two female guards, who just happened to be standing the closest to Bella were both panting, their bodies trembling. The male guards weren't much better. Their hands were resting on their crotches and it was evident that they were getting increasingly uncomfortable. Charlie tilted his neck to the side violently and I heard it crack. He leaned in really close to me and whispered in my ear.

"Do you know how excruciatingly fucked up it is for me to get a hard on because of what she's doing?" He grumbled.

The thought disturbed me. Unfortunately though, I was beginning to feel her as well and getting a hard on while the father of the girl you've just spent two days screwing is whispering in your ear is almost just as fucked up.

I coughed slightly and when he pulled away I was forced to adjust myself. Charlie looked down, rolled his eyes, and started chuckling.

"It's fine when she's not here," he said quietly, resuming his circling. "When I have someone to. . . take care of me. When I don't have to remember that it's her that's doing this. But when she's in the same room, well. . . it's so much more intense. And with you. . . you're not even fucking touching her and this is almost completely unbearable."

He was grinding out his words now as though it was painful. And I suppose it was. I was fucking hard as hell and was seriously considering grabbing her and trying to make a run for it. No matter how angry I was with her, I fucking wanted her like nothing else. Unfortunately, there were still a lot of fucking guns in the room.

"That's never happened before," he sighed turning away from me.

_What's never happened before?_

"You'll be allowed to stay. . . for now." He waved his hand as if dismissing me.

"That was my judgement?" I asked. Okay, so it hadn't exactly been pleasant, but I was expecting something a lot more complicated.

"Judgement is about admitting your weaknesses, your failures. It's about accepting the mistakes you've made out there and moving on. You cannot become a part of our colony without leaving your past behind. You have a lot of fucking work to do Mr. Masen. Now, get the fuck out of my office."

I turned around towards the door we had entered through, but Emmett and Jasper were standing in front of it.

"You can't go back that way," Emmett announced.

"Well how the hell do I get out of here then?"

"Bella will show you," Rose cooed, pointing to the opposite side of the room. My little goth doll was standing by another door, waiting for me.

I was far too pissed off though. I didn't want to follow her. I wanted to go back out to the club and find someone else. I didn't care who it was. I didn't care that Bella had brought me more pleasure in two days than dozens of women had brought me over the last ten years. No one had ever brought me to such highs. But at that moment, all I needed to do was make the feelings go away. I needed to forget; at least try to.

"You take her back. I'm going to the club," I growled.

"Dude, you so don't want to piss off the big man right now," Emmett chuckled. "He's got some business to attend to and I'm pretty sure the next time he points his gun at you, he will pull the trigger."

I looked over at Charlie who was glaring at me from his chair. The blond guard was sitting on his lap, playing with the buttons of his shirt as he caressed her thigh.

"Fuck!"

I stormed over to Bella with Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and the little dark haired guard following.

Through the door was a stairwell. Bella stopped.

"Bella?" the little dark haired guard asked.

"Go, Alice. We'll be fine."

"I don't think that's a good idea, B," Jasper said shaking his head and glancing over at me.

I'm fairly certain that he could see the fury radiating from my body.

"I said we'll be fine," Bella responded sharply.

Hesitantly, the four of them climbed the stairs.

"Edward," she said softly.

"What?" I barked.

"Follow me."

At first I didn't want to, but then I thought better of it. She had nearly gotten me killed. I deserved to let her know how pissed off I was.

I followed her down the steps silently, focusing only on intensity of my anger.

Four flights down, there was a doorway into another room. This one looked like a den of sorts. There were sofas and tables. There was even a kitchen with a stainless steel sink and quartz countertops. This part of the Hive had to have been fairly deep within the mountain. The walls were all rock, completely uneven and jagged.

"You're upset," she stated gently.

"Huh. Really? What gave you that impression?" I snarled.

"Did you want me to lie?"

"Yes."

"I can't lie to Charlie, Edward."

"Why the fuck not?

"He always knows when I'm untruthful. I don't even try anymore. I will not commit wrongs against him. He's my father. My protector."

"But you can commit them against me," I stated, rather than asked.

"I didn't."

"You did. Why the fuck did you even take me to your bed if you were only going to feed me to the fucking sharks afterwards?"

"Edward?" she whimpered.

"No!" I shouted. "Don't even try it. You were going to let me hang myself."

"I wasn't."

"You were!"

"He wouldn't have hurt you," she insisted.

"He had a fucking gun pointed at my head, Bella."

"He was playing with you. He wanted to see what you would do. That's what he does. He rules with fear, Edward."

I stalked towards her and she started backing up. Her expression told me she was nervous. She had dismissed her guards. No one would hear her scream, not all the way down here.

She hit the wall and immediately put her hands up to protect herself.

They rested on my chest and she tried to push me away, but I was much larger than she was.

"Why would you do that to me?" I asked, resting my forehead against hers and wrapping my hand around her throat. It wasn't tight, just enough to get my point across. I knew that this action alone would be enough to end my life if anyone ever found out about it.

"I...I..."

_What the fuck am I doing?_

I was standing there holding my little goth doll, my goddess, against the wall by the throat. Part of me wanted to hurt her, to make her suffer, but then I looked into her eyes. There was no longer fear in them. Her pupils had dilated almost to the point where I could no longer see any chocolate brown, only black. Her tongue darted out, flesh and metal connecting seductively, and she blinked slowly.

I could feel her. She was wrapping her energy around me like a blanket. The craving I had for her was intense and combined with my anger, I was about to become a very dangerous man.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I growled.

"I can't help it," she whispered.

"I could end you, you know."

"You won't hurt me," she purred. "Your hands on me, your touch, it drives me crazy."

"You don't trust me. You said it yourself. Why aren't you scared?"

"I never said I wasn't scared?" She gasped as I tightened my grip.

I watched her struggle for breath for a minute before loosening it again.

Almost immediately, one side of her mouth curled up into a wicked grin. I released her completely and dragged my hand across her collarbone. She was flushed and her nipples were pert beneath her top.

_So fucking beautiful._

"Do it then," she taunted. "You want me? Take me. However you want."

It was a challenge. One that I was going to win.

I reached down underneath her skirt, between her legs, and felt her heat. As I pressed my fingers against her lace covered sex I could feel her pulsating with need. She was wet and ready.

I slipped my hand around the waistband of her panties and with a quick, sharp tug the fabric split, leaving her bare. She jumped a little in surprise, but I felt a wave of her energy pass over me. She liked it.

I used my free hand to unbuckle my pants. They slid down to my ankles, shortly followed by my boxers.

I only waited a second, but it was long enough for her to know what was coming. It was not going to be gentle.

Bending my knees, I positioned myself at her entrance. I grabbed her calf and wrapped it around my hip before slamming into her as hard as I could. She cried out and dug her fingernails into my shoulders.

I leaned into her, returning my hand to her throat. "Am I hurting you, doll?" I grunted as I plunged into her with everything I had.

"Oh, God, yes," she cried.

"Do you want me to stop?"

I had no idea if I would be able to, but if it was too much for her, I would try. I just hoped to God that she could handle it.

"No, no, no, no. Don't stop, please don't stop," she begged.

_That's my girl._

"Do you like it when I'm rough?" I was pounding her into the rock wall and I knew she was going to have a few cuts and bruises.

"Feels so good," she moaned.

"You screwed me over in there. You were going to let your father kill me," I accused, as I continued to relentlessly thrust myself into her.

"I wasn't, I swear."

"He was so pissed at me he was shaking."

"He was laughing," she yelped. "When he turned his back on you he was laughing."

She threw her head backwards and I heard the thud as it hit the wall. I grabbed her other leg and lifted her up entirely. The angle that my dick was hitting inside of her changed and she mewled loudly.

"Why would he laugh?"

"Because you actually, ahhh, you actually thought he was angry about you, oh God, not knowing my, my age. Oh, God, Edward, harder."

"You want it harder, doll? You want me to break you?" I grunted.

"Yes," she cried out passionately. "Please?"

"Do you know what I want?"

I dropped her and pulled out, turning her around quickly so that her front was pushed up against the wall before plunging back in from behind. I spread my fingers and shoved my hand against her cheek before leaning in. My mouth was right next to her ear and I spoke in a low, threatening voice.

"I." thrust "Want." thrust "You." thrust "To." thrust "Scream."

I wrapped one hand around her waist and slid it underneath her skirt so that I could press against her clit. With three more thrusts she let go. And she screamed-just as I had demanded. I felt her body tense and her hands shot up, encircling my neck and pulling at me roughly. I removed my hand from her pussy, wrapped it around her waist and braced my other one against the wall. I continued my assault for another forty-five seconds before I too was completely lost in ecstasy. It was as though all of the anger and frustration that I had been feeling was leaving my body as I spilled into her.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I wailed as wave after wave coursed through me.

I leaned in, allowing my body weight to secure her firmly against the wall. We stayed like that for a while, with me still inside her, panting heavily.

"It doesn't matter," she sighed, resting her head against the wall.

"It does," I said, gently pulling out of her so that I could get my boxers and pants back on. "To me, it does."

She turned to face me and placed her hands on my jaw as she lowered her eyes.

"I can't ever belong to you."

"Why not?"

"He won't let me."

"Do you feel it?" I asked, hoping she would know what I meant. Our connection was not normal. I couldn't explain it, but it transcended the physical lust our bodies had been trying to sate.

I lifted her chin with my finger and kissed her gently on the lips. Her eyes held sadness and pain.

"He can't ever know," she whispered. "He'll take you away from me."

"That's why you let him do that to me in there?" I asked "You were protecting me?"

She nodded and bit her lip. "If I had defended you, begged for you, he would have realized. He _would_ have killed you. My life isn't my own, Edward. I belong to the Hive."

I wrapped my arms around her, enveloping her in the most comforting embrace that I possibly could.

"Let him try to separate us, Bella," I murmured into her hair. "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere."

~xoxoxoxo~


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Okay, so I was getting ready to respond to all the reviews and then I thought, "Well, what the heck? The chapter's ready, why not just post it?" LOL. So that's what I'm doing instead. **

**I did not even realize how much time had passed. I looked at my last update date and freaked a little. I'm job hunting and time is flying by. I'm so sorry. **

**Big, big thanx to Melee03 and 6dlb5 for pre-reading for me. I heart you ladies so much. **

**Previous sexual content warning applies. Our sexin duo isn't finished yet. LOL. Let's find out a little bit more about Bella's world, shall we? **

~xoxoxoxo~

Chapter 4:

_"Let him try to separate us, Bella," I murmured into her hair. "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere."_

I led Bella over to one of the sofas and laid her down gently before crawling up next to her, pinning her in between me and the back of the sofa. She snuggled into the crook of my neck and I wrapped myself around her. I could feel her hot breath against my neck.

"Where exactly are we?" I asked, looking around as much as my position would allow.

"It's an entertainment room," Bella sighed, her voice muffled.

"What kind of entertainment?"

"Hmmmm."

I leaned back and looked into her face. Her nose was wrinkled and her bottom lip was being worked by her teeth.

"What?" I asked as I used my thumb to rescue her lip. She looked slightly embarrassed which immediately put me on guard. "Tell me."

"Can you see the curtains at the back of the room?"

I lifted my head, peering over the back of the sofa and saw a fabric wall.

"Yeah."

"There's a platform behind them," she started to explain, but then she stopped.

"Okay. Like a stage?"

She shook her head. "No. Not really."

I lifted my eyebrows in a silent urge for her to continue.

"It's covered in linens, blankets, and pillows."

She looked into my eyes almost pleadingly.

"Bella?"

"It's a bed, Edward. A really big bed."

I furrowed my brow and then suddenly I understood.

_Oh Shit!_

"Orgies? You have fucking orgies down here?" I wasn't sure whether to be turned on or not. The idea of an orgy in and of itself was fucking hot. The idea of my doll being involved in them was. . . not; especially without me.

But she _did_ have a life before me. Everyone had made it pretty fucking clear that Bella had had her share of lovers. How many? I didn't know. I didn't think I wanted to know. She was eighteen for God's sakes. Could there really have been _that_ many? Did she even know how many? I knew exactly what my count was and I had seven years on her, but I had spent five years with and completely faithful to one woman. After I was ordered to. . . after she died, I had needed a distraction. I had needed a lot of distractions.

Bella wasn't just a distraction. I didn't know what I felt for her or why. All I knew was that this woman in my arms had succeeded where so many others had failed. She had actually made me care about something other than survival. I cared about her.

I remembered Laurent specifically saying that she hadn't taken a lover in four months. At that rate she couldn't have had more than five a year give or take. If she had been at it for a few years, not more than fifteen, or twenty. Fuck! Were all those fuckers still around? My conquests were spread out all over the world. There was no way that I would ever see any of them again, but Bella's, if they were still here. . .

"Goddammit," I growled to myself. But since Bella was only inches away from me, she couldn't help but hear.

"You don't understand," she whispered softly. "I have to."

"You have to?" I snapped. "You have to what, Bella?"

"They're not really orgies. We don't switch up partners. It's just that, I provide what we need to survive. The world out there is dying. Within a decade, they will all but be extinct. If we don't breed, we will be too."

"I, I just don't get it."

"How many children are being born right now? Out there?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"None, Edward. People aren't able to reproduce. The toxins are killing them, both inside and out. If they can get pregnant at all, they can't keep them. Their bodies are rejecting them."

I tried to dismiss the idea. I had seen kids. . . hadn't I? There had to be kids somewhere. Yes, I'd definitely seen kids, but babies? I focused hard, but the realization hit me hard. I hadn't seen a child under the age of ten in years. Anywhere.

I stared at her for a second before she continued. "It's happened to us too. Most of our community was born outside of here. Even those who've lived here for a decade are having trouble."

"Okay," I shrugged. "So what does that have to do with you?"

"When I. . .release," she said looking at me sheepishly. "They all feel it. The closer they are in proximity, the stronger it is. I don't know how it works exactly, but it appears to help their fertility."

"When you release? As in orgasm?"

"Not necessarily. I can release it at any time, regardless. The more turned on I am, the stronger it is. When I orgasm, it peaks. The more they get, the greater their chances of conceiving."

My head was spinning. I had no idea what to say. It was all really fucking confusing.

"And the orgies?"

"When I release in room full of people. . . .who are having sex, the number of pregnancies increases dramatically."

I stared at her, my mouth completely agape. "Where are the babies?"

She smiled. "This place is bigger than you think Edward. We are built halfway into the mountain. There are separate living quarters for families."

"How many are there?"

"I think that right now we have about five hundred or so under the age of eighteen. Most of them were born here. We've lost over four-thousand."

I choked. "Four-thousand?"

She nodded sadly. "Four-thousand miscarriages and still-births. An additional two hundred died within the first week. If they can survive past that, they're recorded."

I was fucking blown away. Had this been happening around me and I just failed to notice?

Oh yeah, I was too busy killing people to realize that they were already dying. I suddenly felt very sick. No wonder Charlie had wanted to kill me. He knew what my job was. It didn't matter that ninety-nine percent of the people I took out were parasites. I was contributing to the extinction of the human race.

"You keep track of all of this?" I asked trying to distract my mind from thinking about what I had done.

Bella nodded her head. "We have recorders. People whose job it is to keep track of vital statistics. Everyone who enters the hive, whether it be from the outside or through birth is recorded. Everyone who leaves is recorded as well."

I buried my face in her neck breathing in her natural earthy scent. Her hand wove it's way through my hair and I almost felt like purring. My eyes were heavy and I was beginning to feel the exhaustion from the intensity of the day. The information that Bella had given me was confusing. I didn't understand her or her abilities. My thoughts were interrupted by her sweet voice asking a question that made my blood run cold.

"Did you really kill your fiance?" she whispered.

My whole body tensed. I didn't want to talk about it. It was part of my past. I had to do it. It wasn't my fault.

I felt her hand slip from my bicep down to my elbow and back up. I knew that it was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but I was having a hard time being comforted. Until I felt her. It wasn't powerful, but it was there. This was different though. This wasn't lust, this was a soothing calm. There was no other way to explain it.

"Are you doing that?" I asked.

"Yes," she admitted, her hands slipping to my chest and moving slowing, tortuously, over my rib cage and down to my hips.

"Why?"

"You're agitated. I didn't mean to do that to you. I'm sorry. I'm trying to make it better."

"So you release more than just sexual energy?"

She nodded. "I emit several different _energies."_

"Have you always been able to do it?" I asked.

"Yes . . . and no. I have always been able to emit calm and joy and fear. Lust and sexual pleasure came later."

"How the hell did you figure out that you could induce pregnancies?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Bella sighed. "That is a really long conversation."

I wanted her to tell me. I needed to know everything I could about her, but I suddenly had another, more intense need. She shifted against my leg and smirked up at me when she noticed my growing predicament.

"I'm not doing that," she teased. "I haven't even started."

"Can you control it? Keep what you're feeling from affecting anyone else?"

She flicked at one of her viper bites. "Sometimes. If I'm really concentrating, but it's hard to do. . .in the moment."

"Will you try? For me?"

Bella looked at me hesitantly. "That could be dangerous," she said quietly.

"What do you mean, dangerous?"

"If I get really worked up and hold it in too long, it's kind of like a bullet, I explode. It could get incredibly, uh, painful."

"For who?" I asked.

"You," she admitted. "I have built up a tolerance to it."

I narrowed my eyes at her. She pursed her lips together in frustration. I'm pretty sure she was really fucking tired of explaining this shit to me, but it was all so fucking weird that I couldn't stop myself from asking questions.

"What's the longest orgasm that you've ever had?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess maybe thirty seconds. The other night, the first time, was probably the longest, how long was that?"

"Two minutes," she stated as if she had a fucking stop watch. "If I hold back, I can orgasm for up to ten minutes straight."

"And me?" I was intrigued by the possibilities.

"I've provided a six minute orgasm before."

"That doesn't sound so bad," I grinned.

"The average male orgasm lasts between five and thirty seconds Edward. I almost killed him. He was in so much pain he physically couldn't fuck for two weeks and wouldn't for an additional three."

I shook my head and grimaced a little for two reasons. First, the idea of an orgasm strong and painful enough to put me out of commission for two weeks or more, made my balls retract back up into my body. Second, I didn't want to hear about my doll with other men. If I had it my way, she'd never be with anyone else again. Ever.

"So you never really know if it's actually you that's turning someone on or if it's your energy?" I asked lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles.

She shook her head.

"Not really, but it doesn't take much to turn a man on anyway," she smirked at me. "Now women are a whole different story."

My head whipped around to look at her so fast that I was pretty sure that my neck was close to snapping.

My eyes were wide as she grinned at me.

"You've been with women too?" I whimpered.

She started laughing, I'm presuming because of my reaction. "Depends on what you mean by 'with women'," she teased. "I don't really swing that way, baby. Sorry."

"So what the fuck did you mean?"

She pulled her hand away so that she could rest it on my hip, toying with the waistband of my jeans.

"I have been known to be a recipient of skills from a woman who knows her way around pussy, but I don't reciprocate. She merely enjoys the after effects."

"Jesus Christ," I groaned as I felt myself grow from just incredibly hard to unbearably hard in a fraction of a second.

My doll rolled her hips against me and gripped me tightly.

I shifted her so that she was underneath me. She was so fucking tiny. I leaned back on my heels and began unlacing her boots. As soon as I could, I pulled them off, along with her socks, leaving her legs bare. I yanked my own shoes and socks off quickly tossing them to the floor. I wrapped my hands around her ankles and then began slowly moving my hands upwards. She grinned at me and giggled as I tickled the backs of her knees, but abruptly stopped when I moved up her thighs. She was still bare underneath her skirt since I had destroyed her panties during the rock wall fuck. Sliding my hands up her backside under her skirt, I massaged her cheeks for a second before trailing them over her hip bones and insides of her thighs. I could feel the heat radiating from her pussy, but I refused to touch her where she wanted me to. Not yet. I bent down over her, using my teeth to lift the hem of her tank top up to her ribcage and then sliding my hands up to help me remove it entirely.

Bella lifted her hands above her head to that her shirt slipped off easily. She had that black lacy bra on and I wanted to rip it off just so that it matched her panties. She must have read my mind because she pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Don't even think about it," she growled. "I don't have an unlimited supply."

I hadn't really thought about that much. I would have to remember to ask about supplies, but at that moment, I was too preoccupied with getting her naked.

I pulled off my own shirt as Bella worked the buttons of my jeans. I yanked her skirt down her legs and threw it down to join our shoes. My jeans and boxers followed shortly. We writhed against one another, moaning, mewling and gasping. Licking, sucking and nipping. It was unlike the other times. There was no frantic need, no overwhelming push to take her.

It was then that I realized that I wasn't being _enhanced._

I pulled myself away, sat back on my heels and stared at her. "What are you doing?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"I'm testing my control," she said as she pulled her lip into her mouth with her teeth. Once again I used my thumb to pull it out and immediately covered her mouth with my own. Her lips were so incredibly soft and warm. Her tongue was like silk against mine. I wanted more. I grabbed her head just behind her ears and crushed her to me. She moaned loudly and I was suddenly hit by a title wave of lust so forceful it nearly knocked me backwards.

"Fuck!" I bellowed as I came all over her stomach. I hadn't even gotten inside her yet.

"I'm sorry," Bella cried out, as I pulsed. "I lost my concentration."

I was trying to regain my bearings. My eyes were squeezed tightly together. She was still radiating and I was still fucking hard. I plowed into her, not even caring that my cum was all over the place. She arched her back and screamed so loud my ears were ringing, but I couldn't stop.

"Uh, oh Jesus, Edward."

I grunted and continued to work her body. Her hands were wild, grabbing and scratching at my shoulders, my back, and my ass. When she went to wrap her leg around me, I grabbed it and pushed it up against her chest, lifting myself up a little so that I could get a better angle. I opened my eyes and knew that I wasn't going to last. The depth at which she was staring at me reached way down into my soul. Her mouth was slightly open and her bottom lip was quivering. Her hips were meeting mine with every thrust. We were like a well-oiled machine, perfectly in tune with each other. Her breasts bounced with my movements. I needed to touch her. I guided her hand to her leg.

"Hold it," I demanded.

She obliged and even pulled her other leg up so that she was spread open even wider for me.

"So fucking beautiful," I murmured as I watched myself sliding in and out of her. I braced against the sofa with one hand and let the other cup the underside of her breast. I flicked at her nipple and watched it harden and pucker. I licked my lips, wanting to taste her, but the pressure in my lower abdomen was wound tightly and I knew I only had a few more seconds.

"Come with me, doll," I begged. "Please!"

My voice was low and gravelly and I was about to lose it when she let go of her legs and grabbed my face, bringing it within centimeters of her own. I inhaled loudly and felt her pussy clamp down on me. She was panting, her chest heaving up and down violently and she was biting down on her lip so hard that I saw blood trickle out from underneath her teeth. But her eyes never left mine.

I wanted to yell, scream, cry out, anything, but her eyes held me and I couldn't. My dick pulsed, over and over spilling my seed inside of her until I finally collapsed.

"Motherfucker," I breathed into her neck.

I shifted my weight slightly so that I wasn't crushing her, but refused to let her move.

"You're going to kill me, doll," I groaned. "As good as you feel, you're going to have to give me a break. I can't keep up with you."

Admitting that made me feel like a pussy, but honestly, I was pretty sure there wasn't a man on the planet that could keep up with her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I've been holding back for so long. Before the day I met you, I hadn't released myself in over four months. I don't seem to have as much control. And for some reason you. . ."

She stopped talking.

"I?"

"There's something about you that's different. I can't explain it. I just feel it."

I had no response for her. She already knew that I felt it too.

Bella shifted underneath me as though she were uncomfortable. I allowed our chests to separate briefly, but that was enough.

"Ewwch."

My cum was sticky between us from my first uncontrolled orgasm and our skin was clinging together.

"That's fucking gross."

Bella laughed. "There's a wash room over there." She pointed towards one corner of the room.

I lifted my head. "How the fuck is there a bathroom this deep into the mountain?"

"You'd be surprised. There's a whole free-flowing underground water source. We have a plumbing system that runs throughout. We try to limit showers to twice a week and encourage people to shower together," she said with a wink. "But we also have a filtration system."

I shook my head and pulled her closer to me. I had yet to withdraw myself from her body and I didn't really want to, but I was finally going soft and I really needed to clean up. I pulled out and watched as jizz leaked out and trailed down her thigh. I froze.

"Shit."

"What?" Bella asked pulling herself into a sitting position and looking down.

"Fuck, Bella."

"What?" she asked again, a little more urgently.

I waved my hand over her. "I've been cumming inside of you for two days."

"Yeah," she shrugged, raising her eyebrows a little in question.

"I've been cumming _inside _you."

Understanding washed over her features. She closed her eyes and her tongue snaked out to flick at her metal nervously.

"Yes, Edward, you have."

Shit. She fully knew what she was doing, what _we_ were doing.

"Are. . .are you trying to get pregnant?" I rasped out. The thought of reproducing freaked me the fuck out. Was she just using me for my stud services? She said there had been thousands of miscarriages and still-births. How many of those had been hers? Did I mean anything to her or did I merely serve one purpose?

She obviously sensed my panic. Her hand reached up and stroked my jaw.

"Look at me, baby," she cooed.

Her fingers curled around my chin as she directed my gaze to hers. "I'm not trying to get pregnant."

I didn't know if I could trust her, believe her. Why else would she fuck me like she had without protection? I was trembling a little and I started shaking my head.

"Edward. Edward, baby."

I couldn't do it. Would she leave when she had gotten what she wanted? I felt vulnerable. Painfully vulnerable. Like a man brought back to life only to be stabbed to death.

"Edward!" she shouted.

My eyes snapped back to her.

"I can't."

I shook my head, not understanding.

"I can't get pregnant."

I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean you can't get pregnant?"

She blinked slowly. When she re-opened her eyes, a tear escaped and slipped down her cheek.

"I mean, I can't get pregnant. I'm sterile."

**~xoxoxoxo~**

**AN: Just so you know, we are about to move a little bit away from the smut for a bit. Edward's exhausted. LOL. **

**Again, thank you all for sticking with me. I know this is different and weird and crazy. I am testing my limits and appreciate that you are trusting me and letting me take you into this AU. **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I have no excuses for the amount of time it took me to write 5000 words, other than I was just not happy with it. I re-wrote this chapter 4 times. **

**Thank you to both Melee03 and 6dlb5 for pre-reading multiple times. LOL. **

**Also thank you for everyone reading and reviewing, despite my lack of responding. :o( I do read every single review and appreciate them very much. **

***If you read the original chapter 5 and remember it, the history is completely different. I've changed everything up. **

~xoxoxoxo~

Chapter 5:

_"I mean, I can't get pregnant. I'm sterile."_

I stared at Bella, who let go of my chin so that she could swipe her hand beneath her eyes, smearing black across her cheeks.

"You can't. . . ?"

"No," she whispered.

I sat back and breathed out in relief. "Thank God."

Looking back up, I saw hurt. Or at least, I think I did. Bella was good at covering her emotions quickly.

"I'm sorry, baby, it's just. . ."

She waved me off. "It's okay, Edward. Let's talk about something else."

"Okay. How about you tell me about you."

"Tell you what?" She smiled.

"Who you are."

"Ahhh, but you know me," she purred, crawling across the couch and into my lap. Her knees straddled my legs and her breasts pressed against my chest.

"I know your body," I said, trailing my finger over her collarbone. "I don't know you."

"I'm not important," she whispered, closing her eyes.

I chuckled. "That's not what everyone keeps telling me."

"They don't know me either."

I pushed her hair back behind her shoulder.

"Tell me then."

"Edward," she breathed in protest.

"It's not a request, doll. You put me in a fucked up position with your father. I at least deserve to know what I'm putting my life on the line for."

"Fine," she acquiesced. "You're right. Where do you want me to begin?"

I thought about it for a second. She was unlike anyone or anything I had ever encountered. I wanted to know everything.

"How'd you end up here?"

"I was born here."

"Has your father always been in charge?"

"Mmmm," she hummed. "I guess I need to clear some things up. First of all, Charlie's not my biological father," she started.

"He's not?" I asked, surprised.

"Nope. When I was little, my mom used to tell me stories about my real dad. About how they were in love, but it was forbidden, so they ran away together and ended up here. She made it sound like a fairytale."

I leaned back against the cushions. I had a feeling I was in for a long story.

"As I got older, she told it for what it really was."

"And what was that?"

Bella shook her head. "A tragedy. My parents were really young when they met; kids, babies really. Their father's were partners in some big financial firm. The families spent every holiday together, vacationed together. Best friends. They thought it was cute when my mom and dad started holding hands. But. . .the company was one of the first to take a hit when the economy crashed. Blame was thrown in every direction and the families split apart."

"How old were your parents?"

"My mom was fourteen, my dad fifteen. They were devastated. Their parents forbid them to see each other, but they didn't listen. They had this stupid idea that if they got pregnant and had a baby, no one could keep them apart. They would have these secret rendezvous and it took them two years, but finally she conceived."

The sad look on Bella's face told me that the pregnancy was not exactly what her parents had hoped for.

"When my mom started showing, they tricked their parents into being at the same place at the same time so that they could announce the baby. A restaurant of all places." Bella rolled her eyes. "As if that would keep them from fighting. The cops were called within twenty minutes. Everyone was furious. There was more blame and screaming and name calling. The only thing they agreed on was that the pregnancy needed to end. My mom refused, but in the end, it didn't matter. She ended up losing the baby at eighteen weeks."

Bella's eyes glassed over with emotion. I thought she was going to start crying, but a moment later, her expression returned to being stoic.

"The maid found her on the floor of her bedroom completely unconscious and soaked in blood. They called an ambulance, but it was too late. The baby was gone. Her parents celebrated while she cried."

"She told you all this? When you were just a little kid?"

"No, not the details," she said quietly. "She wrote a lot. . . in journals. I've read them a few times."

I'd never thought to ask where her mother was now, but it was becoming clear that she wasn't around anymore.

"My mom was petrified that my dad wouldn't love her when he found out that she'd lost their baby. I think her parents thought the same thing, too. They believed. . . hoped that the miscarriage would solve everything, but they were wrong. My dad showed up one night and stole her away."

Bella flicked at her viper bites, hiding a smile.

"They ended up here, at the Hive."

She took a deep breath and continued. "Back then, it wasn't really a hive. There were only about a hundred people living here. It was. . . developed, I guess, by Nathan and Miranda Swan. He was an engineer, she was an architect. They were rich and eccentric and hated living out there." She waved her hand around in the air. "Too many people, too much crime, too dependent on technology. They hated everything. So, they used their resources, burrowed into the mountainside and moved in, bringing their son with them."

I narrowed my eyes. "Charlie?"

She nodded.

"Within a couple of years they had a following. People who wanted a change."

"Like a cult."

"Sort of, yeah, except it wasn't about religion. It was about organic living. They spent years expanding, digging, building, and stockpiling materials; doing everything they could to make the Hive self-sufficient. There are caverns upon caverns full of fabrics, seeds, and anything we might need to build, fix, create, and grow. They had no idea that the outside world would crumble so quickly; no idea that their home would be turned into a sanctuary, but that's what it became for so many."

"The outcasts?"

"Some of them." Bella nodded. "But like I said, some just wanted a new way of life; others were seeking asylum. My parents just wanted to be allowed to love each other. Nathan and Miranda didn't question them when they showed up. They welcomed them in and treated them kindly. They weren't concerned with their social status or wealth. They protected and hid them when the police came knocking, looking for the rich little girl who had been kidnapped by her violent and possessive ex-boyfriend. It was all fucking lies." Bella bristled. "This place became their home, these people . . . their family."

Bella was silent, lost in her own head before continuing. I found myself wishing I could read her mind.

"My mother had this. . . affect on people. Not like mine. At least, I don't think it was like mine. Everybody loved her. She was trained to be a nurse and midwife because she was kind, compassionate, and seemed to have a calming effect on her patients. She had the highest rate of successful live births and the lowest rate of postpartum deaths."

"Where did Charlie come in?" I asked.

Bella nodded, acknowledging my question.

"Charlie was two years younger than my mom, but he took an instant liking to her. She knew he had a crush on her, because he followed her around everywhere, but he was just a kid and she only had eyes for my dad. To her, he was just the spoiled son of the founders. He was everything that she hated about her old life, so she ignored him."

There was a slight breeze that blew through the room and Bella shivered. I pulled her closer, running my hands up and down her back.

"My parents continued trying to have another baby, but it wasn't easy. Every time they believed her to be pregnant, she'd start to bleed. It took them three years before they got pregnant with me. They were cautiously happy, but never allowed themselves to believe that everything would be okay. And it wasn't. As things started to deteriorate outside, more and more people flocked to the refuge that the Hive provided. Nathan and Miranda had to figure out how to accommodate so many people. They were always expanding and trying to develop a way to determine who to let in. There was a lot of drama and violence. Amongst the chaos, Charlie turned eighteen and started taking on an active role in development and selection. He became a sort of. . . head of security; a chief of police, I guess. He took care of the trouble makers."

Bella's posturing changed so slightly that I almost missed it. If I wasn't trained to pick up on everything, I wouldn't have even noticed. Her story was about to take a turn.

"I guess my father was one of them. When my mom was twenty-two weeks pregnant with me, my dad and Charlie got into some sort of fight. Nobody knows for sure what it was about, but there were rumors circulating that Charlie had decided to claim my mother for himself. My father was killed."

Bella swallowed and cleared her throat.

"Charlie has always sworn that it was an accident. He said that in the midst of him defending himself, he shoved my dad away. My dad tripped and hit his head against one of the jagged walls. Charlie said that when he went to help him up, he was already dead."

"Do you believe that?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. My mother didn't and she hated him for it. Charlie didn't give her a chance to grieve. He swore his life to her; promised to protect and take care of her. . . and me. Within a month, they were married."

"That doesn't make sense. If she was so in love with your father, why submit to Charlie?"

"In her eyes, it made perfect sense. She was afraid if she said no, she'd be kicked out. She was about to have a baby. She had no real education and nowhere to go. It's amazing what people will do when their desperate."

Bella wasn't looking at me, but her statement made me question if she knew more than she let on about who I was.

"Charlie knew that my mother didn't love him, but he believed that she would learn to love him, because he could give her back the status and power that she gave up to be with my father."

"I thought you said those things didn't exist here."

"Those things exist everywhere, Edward, whether people want them to or not. There's always someone bigger, someone stronger, someone more powerful. There is always a leader. Nathan and Miranda didn't care about those things, but even as a teenager, Charlie knew that he held a position of reverence. By the time he was eighteen, he was ready to take over; to take what he wanted. My mother was one of the things he wanted most, so he did what he thought he had to do to have her."

Bella started fidgeting, picking at her fingernails and then twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"He didn't understand how deep her feelings for my father were. They were soul mates and not even death would destroy that."

"You believe in that shit?" I snorted.

Bella's gaze burned a hole right through me. "Yes, I do. Why shouldn't I?"

"Because look how it turned out for your parents," I snapped, immediately regretting it when her face fell. "Fuck."

She looked down again, tracing her finger over my chest.

"The rest of my mom's pregnancy was really difficult," she continued. "Both physically and emotionally. She was sick and couldn't gain weight. It nearly broke her. Her body just couldn't handle me. I was born at thirty-four weeks. She always said that I was the strongest preemie she'd ever seen."

I smiled a little. It didn't really surprise me. She was still tiny and yet she yielded such strength, such power.

"My mom said Charlie loved me from the moment I was born. I'm not sure that's actually true though."

"Why?"

"I think he despised me. He was never cruel, but he was never affectionate either. He merely put up with me, because I was part of her. The fact was, I wasn't his child. He was determined to have an heir. Preferably a male."

Bella rolled her eyes.

"The moment the doctors approved sexual activities after my birth, he began his quest. My mother never refused him, but. . . she never conceived. Charlie got more and more frustrated as the years passed. I remember a fight, when I was five. He blamed her; said that she had wasted her womb on me. I didn't know what he meant at the time, and when I asked my mom, she told me he was just upset because he wanted me to have a little brother or sister."

"Wasted her womb on you?" I scoffed. "What a fucking thing to say in front of a kid."

"He didn't know I was there," she shrugged. "And like I said, I didn't understand, so it never hurt my feelings."

I didn't even know what to say to her, so I didn't say anything. How could she even stand to look at that fucker?

"When I was eight, she finally got pregnant. Charlie was insanely happy. He doted on her, catered to her every want and need. Everything started out perfect. I remember her sitting on my bed with me, running her fingers through my hair and singing while I tried to feel the baby move."

Bella smiled sadly. "I was really excited for him. My mom was too, despite the fact that he was Charlie's."

"It was a boy?"

"Yeah. We still use quite a bit of technology. We tend to use it for entertainment purposes; music and stuff, but Charlie was really anxious that something would be wrong with the baby. They used an ultrasound machine to make sure he was growing properly and when they asked if they wanted to know the sex, they said yes. Everything Charlie wanted was within his grasp. He was powerful, respected, feared. After eight years, my mother was beginning to care for him in her own way. It was nothing like what she'd felt for my father, but their son was growing inside of her. A child they had conceived together, intentionally.

Bella closed her eyes and reopened them slowly.

"One night, they were being unusually affectionate with each other. He was kissing her and she was smiling at him. I was pretending to read on the floor, but I was watching them. They looked happy. I should have known."

"Known what?"

"That something would go wrong. She went into labor in the middle of the night. She was only twenty-five weeks. There was no way to stop it. The doctors and a midwife came to our quarters and delivered the baby. Charlie was freaking out; screaming at them to do something. My mother begged the midwife to help them, so once she thought my mother was stable, she left her."

"But she wasn't."

Bella shook her head, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye.

"I was sitting right there, holding her hand. I didn't know," Bella's voice cracked. "There was already so much blood. She told me she loved me. '_You will do great things, my sweet baby girl. Be strong_'."

More tears slipped down my doll's cheeks. I reached up and wiped them away with my thumb.

"She died?"

"Hemorrhaged. Gone. . . so fast."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, the occasional sniffle slipping from Bella as she tried to regain her composure.

"So what happened. . . . after?" I finally asked.

"When Charlie came back in and found her, he went into this horrible rage. I just remember cowering in the corner while he destroyed everything. I prayed and prayed that he would stop. And suddenly. . . he did."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. He had a vase or something in his hand, raised above his head like he was going to throw it at me, but. . . he didn't. He just stared at me for a second and then set the vase down."

"Was it you?"

Bella nodded. "I think so. I didn't know it at the time, though. It wasn't until a few days later that I realized it was me."

"What happened a few days later?"

"The baby died," Bella murmured. "We were all there, the whole family and a few friends; mourning my mother. The doctor came to our quarters to tell us. He was just too early. We didn't have what we needed for him to survive."

Bella seemed to be holding back. I could feel her trembling, but her expression was flat.

"Charlie lost it. He attacked the doctor, beat him, blamed him. People were trying to pull him off, including Nathan. Miranda was crying and there was so much noise. It was just too much. I screamed at the top of my lungs and felt this wave leave me."

"Wave?"

"I don't know how else to describe it. It was this huge. . . pressure that shot through the room and everyone breathed it in. Everything just. . .stopped. Charlie knew it was me before I did. He made everyone leave. I was scared he was going to hurt me, but he just sat there studying me forever. He asked me how I did it, but I couldn't answer him, because I didn't know. After my mom and brother. . ." Bella paused. "Uh. . .after that, Charlie could barely function. She was his obsession for so long, he didn't know what to do without her. I was the only thing he had left of her. He spent all of his free time trying to figure out what I could do and how to cultivate it. He was fascinated. When I was ten, Nathan had a heart attack and died. Miranda only lasted a few months after that. I don't honestly know what she died of. She wasn't that old." Bella shrugged. "Her passing allowed Charlie to take over, though. He helped me learn to use my ability and when he needed it, he used it to his advantage. It was a game for him. I was his toy."

"You're still his toy," I growled.

Bella frowned. "I do what he asks."

"Why?"

"For the same reason my mother did. For the same reason that almost everyone here does. For the same reason you will. I have nowhere else to go."

I decided to change the subject back to what I wanted to know in the first place. My doll was treading on dangerous ground. I was nobody's puppet.

"So, he knew you could control emotions. When did he discover you could induce orgasms?"

"Ah, down to the meat," she teased, tugging at the trail of hair just below my navel.

"Careful," I warned in a low voice.

"Anyway," she said, rolling her eyes. "Where was I?"

"Orgasms." I smirked.

She pursed her lips. "Do you want me to tell you or not?"

I nodded, grinning.

"Fine then. Shut up!" She pressed her mouth against mine hard and then pulled back.

"When Charlie took over, he began making a lot of changes. He spent days, weeks even, looking over the vital statistics; births, deaths and such. He noticed that a large percentage of people were younger; breeding age, and yet the number of babies produced was low. He separated out the families and encouraged coupling and mating amongst the singles. Then he created the club and established new rules."

"What did you do?"

"I was ten. I went to school with the other kids," she laughed. "I learned about math and grammar, history."

"History? Of what?"

"Both ours and the outside's. We learned about the world and what was happening to them. The collapse of the financial world and the subsequent chaos and destruction of infrastructures was a huge part of our education." Bella paused. "So was sex education."

"Sex."

She nodded. "We learned about our bodies and the logistics of reproduction. And then they taught us about the decrease in conception rates as well as infant mortality. For us, that was just as important as learning to read. Maybe more so."

I opened my mouth, but Bella's fingers against my lips stopped me.

"I'm getting there," she assured. "Charlie waited almost two years before taking another lover. Or at least, before bringing one home. Sexuality was never hidden from me. Not when my mother was still alive and not after she died, but he gave me my own quarters so I could have a place to go when he was. . . . otherwise engaged. He said it was up to me, but I think he preferred for me to be away."

Bella's face broke out into a wide grin. "With me there, he felt like my mother was watching him. I accepted that he had to move on and for awhile, everything was fine. Until I hit puberty."

"I was twelve when I started to bleed. It wasn't a surprise. A lot of girls my age had already gone through it. I knew it was just part of life. What I didn't realize was the surge of hormones that came with it. There was a boy, Marcus. He was fourteen."

"You were twelve," I growled.

"It was exploration, Edward. If either one of us had thought it would go further, we wouldn't have been in Charlie's quarters. Marcus was my friend. We were goofing off, messing around on the lounge. I stole his book, he tried to get it back. We were laughing. It started off innocently enough, but then he touched me, under my skirt, but over my underwear. He knew right where to rub and it felt so good. I didn't mean to do it, but I couldn't help myself. I orgasmed really hard. My first. I wasn't even touching him, but Marcus' eyes rolled back in his head. He pulled away from me and started jerking and shaking and groaning. I thought he was having a seizure at first. I was actually kinda scared."

"When he calmed down, he stared at me like I was some sort of freak. Two minutes later, Charlie was there. He was pissed to say the least. Marcus' feet didn't even touch the ground on his way out the door."

"How did Charlie know?"

"He felt it." Bella's cheeks reddened a little. "It was embarrassing. No little girl wants to talk to her father about things like that no matter how open their relationship is, but I didn't have a choice. It wasn't something I could hide from, and I didn't have control over it. I'd wake up mid-orgasm. Eventually, Charlie sent me to my private quarters permanently. He couldn't handle it."

There was a sad sort of look in Bella's eyes that I couldn't interpret. She appeared almost regretful. When she noticed me studying her, she looked away and the emotion disappeared from her face.

"Life got interesting from that point on. Charlie kept close tabs on me. He wanted me to learn to control my sexual energy just like I did the others, but it wasn't as easy, because he didn't want to be anywhere near me when it happened. He also didn't want me to involve boys in my self exploration."

I gaped at her. I remembered the time my own mother caught me jacking off to a Playboy magazine. I was thirteen and completely. Fucking. Mortified. Bella continued.

"There was a spike in conceptions. Charlie noticed it, but it wasn't until I lost my virginity at fourteen that it became apparent that it was directly related to me."

"Fourteen?"

Bella shrugged. "I had no supervision. It wasn't something I planned, but it happened. Charlie was pissed at first. The boy, Michael, was a few years older and when Charlie found out it was him who had crossed the line, he tossed him out."

"You said at first. He got over it?"

"He was mad for awhile, but when the number of pregnancies jumped the next month, he realized that my activities were actually benefiting our little colony. He didn't necessarily encourage it, but he didn't discourage it either. The older and more experienced I got, the stronger I became. I learned to project it to others. It was like a drug for them. They craved it; they craved me. I am living, breathing ecstasy. Unfortunately, it also made me vulnerable. People didn't understand boundaries. Charlie had to find me a bodyguard, Emmett. He was eighteen at the time and was with me twenty-four seven. It was inevitable that he'd become my lover."

_Motherfucker._

"But he couldn't handle me for very long. Men always think that there's no such thing as too much sex. I prove them wrong." Bella smirked. "I rarely take lovers anymore, Edward. I've had nine in total, including you, if you were wondering. Before I saw you in the club, I was determined to not take another."

"Ever?"

Bella swallowed. "I'm tired. I want it to stop. I want to be able to make love without everyone knowing. I don't _want_ to be their queen. I've been working on controlling it, but you saw what happened. And of course," she smiled. "It appears that, with you, I have no self control at all."

"Maybe over time. . ."

"You will leave me, Edward," she interrupted. "Hopefully, before I fall in love with you."

I felt nauseous at her words. A gnawing, painful lump in my gut. I don't know if it was from the idea of leaving her, or the use of the word 'love'. I'd loved before, and lost. It wasn't worth it.

Luckily, I was saved from having to respond by a loud noise coming from the stairwell. Bella lowered her head and sighed.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

I frowned. "Go where?"

"I should have known Emmett wouldn't leave us alone too long. He doesn't trust you."

I snorted. Smart man. "He doesn't fucking know me."

Bella's lips twitched. She unfolded her legs and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. I watched the lean muscles beneath her skin contract.

When she noticed me appreciating her, she lowered her arms and walked over to me.

"Do you like?" she purred, dragging the back of her hand across my cheek.

I nodded. "You know I do."

"Do you want?"

I looked towards the door just as it slammed open to reveal her huge bodyguard, and ex-lover.

I snarled unexpectedly.

"I can make him go away."

"Yeah, right!" he laughed, strolling the rest of the way into the room and towards us.

I jumped up. "Get the fuck out!"

He stopped about two feet away. I pulled my jeans on and handed Bella my shirt. She just stood there.

"Put it on," I growled.

"Dude, she ain't got nothin' I haven't seen before." He scanned his eyes over my doll's backside. I saw them narrow and a flash of anger. "Except for these." He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. I would have flipped the fuck out that he was touching her if it weren't for what was staring back at me.

"Wanna explain?"

Angry red scratches and scrapes marred the pale skin across her spine. It had to have been from where I took her against the wall.

"No, I don't."

Bella pushed him away and slipped my shirt over her head. "I'm fine."

Emmett glared at me.

"Aliiiice!" he yelled, without looking away.

The young girl with short black hair strolled into the room. She no longer had her huge gun, but what looked like a colt-45 was in a belt at her waist.

"Oh, my God! Why are you so loud?"

"Clothes," he demanded.

Alice slung a bag over her shoulder and onto the floor. Bella walked over to her. The two exchanged words I couldn't hear. Alice's eyes shifted to me and then back.

"I'll be right back," Bella announced, lifting the bag.

Once she was gone, Alice joined Emmett. It was almost like a stand-off.

"I think you're going to want to clean up as well," she suggested, her eyes focusing in on my stomach. There was still jizz everywhere. Dried jizz, but still jizz.

"Good idea," I agreed, taking a step towards where Bella had gone.

"I don't think so," Emmett said, blocking my path.

I considered if I could take him. I was already pissed at the fact that he'd been with my doll, but, on the other hand, he also protected her.

"Give her five minutes," Alice said softly. "Sometimes, she needs time alone."

I nodded. These people knew her better than I did and as much as I would have rather been with her, if her friend said she needed time, I'd give her that. Plus, Alice still had that gun. I was unarmed.

A few minutes later, Bella came out of the washroom. She was dressed in tight dark jeans that hung low on her hips. On the top she wore a sheer black shirt with a hot pink bra underneath. Her hair was pulled up, her make-up on.

"You hurt her, and there will be a long line of people waiting to see you suffer," Emmett said in a low threatening voice. "We know who you are and what you've done. I will give my life before I let you damage her."

"We all will," Alice added under her breath.

Bella was at my side seconds later. "Go. . . get cleaned up. Then I can show you around; introduce you to the rest of the family."

Oh. Fantastic.

~xoxoxoxo~

**AN: If you're hanging in there with me. . . thank you! LOL. **

**To answer a concern that was raised a couple of times: Bella and Edward will not engage in any group sex. Can you REALLY see this Edward being okay with ANYONE else ****touching his doll? **

**If you have questions, I will do my absolute best to answer them. Some of them you are meant to have, but some I may have just not thought to answer. **


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Yes, I know it's been a couple of months. I am continuing to write as quickly as I can, but DiMD is definitely a priority for me. Oh, and my kids and husband too. LOL.**

**I know I totally suck at answering reviews for The Hive. I am reading every one, however, and your continued support keeps me going, so thank you so much.**

**Also, huuuuuge thank yous go to my wonderful pre-readers Melee03 and 6dlb5.**

**~xoxoxoxo~**

Chapter 6:

We trailed back through corridors and tunnels, up steps and down more corridors. The place was a fucking maze and there was no way I was even going to find my way out if I got lost. . . or trapped. Bella held onto my hand while Emmett and Alice bickered in front of us. I kept wondering if they really got into a fight, who would win. He had to be two and half times her size, but she didn't look like she took any shit. Plus, she was armed.

We reached our apparent destination and Emmett yanked open a heavy door before stopping abruptly. I almost smacked into him, but Bella tugged me back.

**"**Hold on," he said, lifting up one of his hands.

**"**For what?"

**"**For me to do my job."

I felt Bella's grip tighten and looked down at her. A brief smile emerged and disappeared just as quickly.

**"**You okay?"

**"**Yes," she stated simply.

**"**Just pay attention," Emmett directed. "She's going to get extra attention today, because everyone's wondering who_you_are."

I could hear the slight disdain in his voice, but ignored it. I just nodded to indicate that I wouldn't let my guard down.

We began walking forward again into the large open room. There were tables and chairs all over the place and a delicious aroma permeating the air. People were laughing and talking. There also appeared to be families, children hanging off their mothers or chasing each other in circles. I watched them. Stared. It had been a long time since I'd seen a child, much less several of them in one place. I watched two little boys, who couldn't have been more than five, sword fighting with sticks. Nearby, a couple of older girls, maybe nine or ten, sat on the floor giggling, singing, and playing clapping games.

"Are you hungry?" Bella asked softly, shifting my attention back to her.

My stomach growled at the mention of food. It had to have been close to eleven at night. I was fucking starving. I nodded and pulled her closer. The room suddenly started getting quieter as people lifted and turned their heads towards us.

"Go sit down," Alice ordered flatly. "I'll get food."

Something told me I shouldn't mess with her, so I kept my smart-ass comment to myself and followed Emmett, who led us across the room to an empty round table. Bella sat down, never letting go of my hand, so I was pulled down beside her.

"Why is everyone eating so late?"

"It's hard to gauge time when you're hidden away in a mountain. During the week, things are much more stringent. We have alarms that sound telling us where we are to be and when, but on the weekends, they turn them off. We are free to be up and out as late as we want as long as there's no trouble."

Slowly, the people in the room went back to what they were doing, only occasionally stealing glances at us. It still made me uncomfortable, until I felt an overwhelming calm hit me. I turned my head to find my doll looking guilty.

"Relax," she whispered. "Let them be on guard. You just pay attention to me."

I leaned down and pressed my forehead against hers. "Like I have the ability to do otherwise."

Bella grinned and wet her lips.

"Uh-hem," a distinctly feminine throat cleared. I looked up to see Alice standing over us. Next to her was the other bodyguard, Jasper, who stayed silent and looming. His grey eyes probed me almost as if he could see through me. I didn't look away from him. Looking away was a sign of weakness, a sign of a submissive. That is something I was not.

They set down steaming bowls of what looked like stew, some bread, and a couple of spoons in front of us.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

Bella reached out and slid her fingers down Alice's forearm. Alice smiled at her.

I watched them sit down, close enough to protect if needed, but far enough away that Bella and I could have a private conversation.

"What did you just do?" I asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"With Alice? The touch?"

"Oh. Nothing." She laughed quietly. I didn't like it. I gripped her thigh under the table to get her attention as she lifted a dipped piece of bread to her mouth.

It wasn't hard, but she gasped loudly anyway. Jasper, Alice and Emmett all lifted their heads. I ignored them and tilted my head at Bella, widening my eyes expectantly.

"Alice and I have been friends for a very long time," she explained. "She's one of those who allowed me to test my abilities on her before I had any control at all." Bella set her bread back down and turned her whole body towards mine. This must have satisfied her guards that I wasn't going to hurt her so they went back to what they were doing. Jasper said something to Alice and she laughed, planting a kiss on his lips. Emmett shoveled food into his mouth. Bella continued. "When I know someone that intimately, I can gauge how much of something they need. Alice is expecting. She's been too uptight. I gave her a mix of calm and happy and love."

"She's expecting?"

"Newly, yes. No one else knows, other than Jasper and me, so I trust you'll keep it to yourself?"

I nodded. Who the hell was I gonna tell?

"Who are they, your friends? How did they get here?"

Bella hummed. "I can give you basics. Their stories are their own though." She took a bite of her stew and I did the same. It was actually really good, thick with potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables. There didn't appear to be any meat, however, which made sense, I guess, since I doubt they had access to cattle or livestock inside the mountain. Even outside, meat was a rarity. It was expensive and you didn't always know what you were getting.

Bella pointed her spoon across the table discreetly. "Emmett's twenty-two. He showed up here on his own about five years ago. His mother was murdered and his father taken into custody. He had a little sister who was taken in by a neighbor, but they disappeared. Emmett had to fend for himself. It took him like two months, but he made his way here."

I looked at Emmett who had joined the conversation between Jasper and Alice.

"Jasper's twenty-six, he was a soldier."

That took me off guard. About ten years prior, the military had gone sort of rouge. Soldiers turned on their commanders. Rules and guidelines were thrown out the window. People were forced into service without their permission. They became their own entity, influenced by no one, fighting against both government and civilians. No one left unless it was in a body bag.

"How?"

"Two years ago, his twin sister was dying. Bone cancer. Their parents had been killed in a raid. She had no one. His superiors wouldn't let him leave to take care of her, so he deserted and brought her here so that they couldn't trace him. She died about eight weeks later. He intended on returning, facing his punishment, but. . ."

Bella's eyes flashed towards Alice.

"Alice is twenty. She was born here, like me. You probably met her mother, Esme. She often greets new arrivals."  
**  
**I thought back to the beautiful woman who had met me, but I hadn't looked closely enough to remember anything about her features.

"Esme is Charlie's cousin."

"And her daughter is his bodyguard?"

Bella grinned. "Alice is a dead shot and she's not afraid to pull the trigger. When she was ten, she shot a man who was attacking her mother from fifty yards away."

"Killed him?"

"No. Shot him in the balls. He lost both testicles. Now he's no good to anyone. "

I winced.

Bella laughed. "Told you she was a dead shot."

"Bet the fucker wishes he was dead."

"Her father is Carlisle. He's one of the doctors. Not formally trained. He was only nineteen when he came here, but what better way to learn than to be thrown into the fire? He's a good man."

I notice movement out of the corner of my eye and turn to see the tall blond, Rose, walking in, heading straight for Emmett with a smile on her face.

"That's Rose. She's twenty-one. She came here with her Dad and step-mom when she was fifteen. They had another baby a few years ago so they live in the family unit. Rose is a teacher there."

"And Rose is Emmett's. . ."

"Mate." She lowered her eyes as if embarrassed. "She's his wife," she corrected. "He found her shortly after our sexual relationship ended. They're hoping to have a baby, too, but it hasn't happened yet. I give them what I can, though, so maybe soon."

Lifting her chin, I tried to figure out what she was thinking.

She sighed. "I'm so used to focusing on the reproduction that I sometimes forget about the actual relationships. They're more than just animals trying to procreate. They love each other."

"Have you ever loved anyone?" I ask without thinking.

"I've loved lots of people." She sniffed, refusing to look at me.

"You know what I mean."

She shrugged. "I loved my mother. I love Alice. I love them all, in a way. But, I can't afford to love like they do, Edward. That's not my life. That's not my purpose."

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I had no idea what to say.

"You must have loved, though. Your fiance?"

A heavy pressure hit my chest from the inside.

"Sofia," I grunted.

"Tell me about her? Please?"

"There's not much to tell. I'd known her my whole life. Our mother's were best friends. We were expected to get married."

"You must have loved her deeply then."

"I didn't think I had a choice."

"What happened?" she asked softly.

I didn't really want to talk about it, but it didn't really matter anymore. It was what it was. The past.

"We were living together. We woke up, had coffee, and then I left for a briefing with my superiors."

"You were an assassin?"

"I was trained to take out government dictators and high powered corporate officials."

"But you killed innocents as well," she stated.

"I killed whoever I was told to kill. It was either that or they tortured my family in front of me before putting a bullet in my skull."

"And Sofia? Was she a government dictator or a high powered corporate official?"

I know Bella doesn't actually believe that she was either and I hold back my agitation.

"She was feeding them secrets, things I'd told her in confidence. Hideouts of civilian forces and their families. Her betrayal took out one hundred and thirty-six people in one go."

"You were ordered to kill her."

I nodded.

"Did she know?"

"She did the moment I walked in the door with my second standing behind me. My orders were to kill her. His orders were to make sure I did it properly."

Bella frowned. "And your family?"

"They didn't believe me when I told them I found her that way. They turned their backs on me. I don't know what happened to them after that. I was sent away. I never went back."

Bella was silent. I hadn't even realized that the entire table was looking at me. Apparently, they could all hear our discussions better than they had previously let on. Emmett and Rose had looks of interest on their faces. Jasper, understanding. Alice's face was neutral, cautious.

I went back to eating. That was it. There was nothing more to tell. Did I love Sofia? Of course I did. Was I ever truly in love with her? Not really. I couldn't be. I was trained to be an emotionless killer from the time I was eighteen years old. The emotion that came along with something like that would have been a fatal flaw. I guess I understood Bella's situation better than I thought. Love had no place in either of our lives. It was not what we were programmed for.

I glanced around the room again. "Do you know everyone here?" I asked changing the subject.

"No," Bella answered, shaking her head. "I know a lot of faces, but I'm. . . sort of sheltered."

**"**No shit?" I asked sarcastically.

Bella laughed. "Don't let them get to you, Edward. They're just protective."

I nod and dip my bread into my bowl before stuffing it into my mouth.

"This is really good."

The rest of our meal was spent in idle chatter. Bella motioned for the rest of the table to move closer after I realized that our private conversation wasn't ever really private. I didn't mind. If I intended on keeping Bella, I needed them on my side. I listened to the banter between them and laughed under my breath as they teased Emmett about his inability to dance.

"I can move," he insisted.

"Yeah, like an elephant in a room full of glass," Rose teased.

Emmett looked offended for a minute before standing up. He pulled Rose up behind him and threw her over his shoulder.

"Let's go then, baby. I'll show you."

Rose started swearing, but it didn't look like she was fighting too hard.

Bella laughed. "You want to dance? It's the last night for the club until next weekend."

I hadn't danced in so long. In fact, I couldn't actually remember the last time I danced. I was pretty sure that even Emmett's elephant in a room full of glass impression would show me up, but the brightness in my doll's eyes was irresistible. I stood up.

"Let's go."

The club was already thumping when we approached it. I could feel the vibrations long before we actually reached the door and I found my body reacting to the beat.

"Will you be okay in there?" I asked Bella.

"Of course. They won't touch me. Especially not with you here. They won't have to." She reached up, brushing her thumb over my lower lip. "Besides, Emmett and Jasper won't be far."

"No, we won't," Jasper said from behind me, just before Emmett opened the door. A blast of heat and thick air hit us with force.

Walking in, I noticed that we were beside the bar. Rose headed straight for it. It seemed so out of place in this society.

"What do they serve at the bar?" I asked, watching people drinking out of metal cups.

"Alcohol." Bella deadpanned.

"Ha ha, doll. What kind?"

"Home brew and moonshine," she said cheerfully. "It's regulated though. It's really strong so no one is allowed more than two."

"Do you drink?"

"Nope. It diminishes my control."

"It diminishes everyone's control." I chuckled. "That's the fun of it."

"In my case, that could cause all sorts of problems. I have a hard enough controlling certain things as it is. And having you around makes it sooooo much worse."

I winked at her and slid my hand down over her ass, giving it a firm squeeze.

Alice followed Rose and the two of them clinked their cups together before downing whatever it is they had.

"Go on," Bella said to Jasper and Emmett who were apparently still in guard mode. "We'll be fine."

After a moment of assessing the situation, they joined their women for a drink before being dragged into the fray of moving bodies. I snorted loudly when Emmett started to dance. He really couldn't. Rose whispered something in his ear and I had to look away as he started to gyrate.

Bella laughed loudly. "Oh, my God. Do you want a drink?"

"No," I answered. "I don't need one. I've got you to intoxicate me."

I pressed my lips together as tightly as I could, trying not to laugh.

"I've lived here my whole life, Edward, and even I know that was lame," she scoffed playfully.

"Sorry." I pulled her close to me and before I knew it we were moving to the music. Bella swayed her hips back and forth. Her hands moved over her body and then onto mine. Her fingernails scraped against my abs. I lost myself to her. In her eyes. There was so much depth and emotion.

I could feel sweat dripping down my chest. I was uncomfortably hot. Ripping my shirt up over my head, I threw it into a corner. Bella writhed against me. She, too, had beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her shoulders, her neck, her chest. I watched them slip and slide over her wet skin. In the light from the pillars, it almost looked like she was sparkling. It proved to be too much for me. I bent down and dragged my tongue across her neck, tasting the salty flesh.

She moaned and I felt the first wave. If I hadn't had an erection already, this would have done it immediately. The music kept pulsing as our hips crashed together, seeking friction. I had to bend my knees and she danced on her toes, but we were right where we needed to be.

The second wave hit me when I pressed my mouth against hers and skimmed my hands up her side. Still moving to the music, still lost, I absorbed it.

We stayed like that for I don't know how long. I had no idea what people around us were doing or if they were being affected by what was happening between us. I didn't really give a shit either. All I saw was my doll, all I felt was her body and her breath.

All of the sudden, Bella was jerked back. Not of her own volition, but she was actually pulled away from me. She yelped in pain as a guy with shaggy blond hair stood behind her, wrapped one arm around her waist, and held her face in his large hand.

My instincts told me to fight, to kill, but the look in her eyes pinned me down. She didn't want me to move.

Emmett and Jasper appeared immediately on either side of Bella and her captor. Between the three of us, we could probably have ripped him apart, but I wasn't so sure we could get it done without hurting her in the process.

"Awww, what's this, baby? They think I'm going to hurt you," he sneered. He dragged the tip of his nose up the side of her neck. "I'd never hurt you. You know that, right?"

"Let her go, James," Emmett warned. "She's not yours anymore."

"I never was," Bella shot.

"You would have been. If we could have made that baby you wanted so badly."

I could feel the hair on the back of my neck and arms stand straight up. She told me she was sterile and yet she tried to have a baby with this douche-bag?

"I just needed a few more months. We could have made it happen."

Bella's eyes flickered up to me. "No, we couldn't have," she said flatly. "I was lonely and desperate to prove the doctors wrong. You took advantage of that. Get the fuck away from me."

"I like it when you get all feisty." He looked up at me. "She's a wildcat, isn't she? Nothing like her in this world. Just don't start believing that you're special. You're not. None of us are. She'll use you up and throw you out like she always does."

There was a flash of movement and before I knew it, James was on the ground, blood pouring from his nose and mouth, and Bella was tossed almost effortlessly into my arms. I had amazing reflexes, but Jasper was a motherfucking ninja. As James tried to figure out what the hell had happened, Alice stepped over him, one foot on either side of his chest, pointing her gun straight down at his face.

"Jesus Christ," I swore.

James tried to sit up, but Alice put her toe against his forehead, pushing him back down. "Wanna try me?" she taunted, cocking the hammer.

He looked at Bella, who straightened herself up, turned emotionlessly, and walked away. I followed her, feeling like a pussy. I hadn't done anything to protect her. If he had really wanted to hurt her, I would have been left standing there, watching.

Now I needed a drink.

"Here," Rose said, reading my mind and handing me a cup of what smelled like pure alcohol. I downed it in two gulps. It _was_ pure alcohol. I felt it burn all the way down. Emmett was looking Bella over about five feet from us. Looking back, James was gone and Jasper was talking to some chick with huge muscles.

"He's jealous," Rose spoke without looking at me. "James. She kept him longer than most. He thought maybe he could slither his way to the top through her, but she got bored."

"She tried to get pregnant with his child?" I asked bitterly. "Did she know she was sterile?"

"Yes, she did. Charlie had the doctors all over her trying to figure her out. They discovered that the few eggs she has aren't viable. She doesn't even ovulate. Whatever it is that gives her the ability to induce fertility, has taken her own away. She was in a bad place. Like she said, she wanted to prove them wrong. She wanted out. This isn't easy for her, you know? Having an entire civilization count on her for its survival."

"Including you."

"She's my friend," Rose snapped. "Even if I asked her not to, she'd do what she could. Now, mind your own fucking business." She grabbed my cup out of my hand and walked away from me just as Emmett finished going over Bella.

"Are you okay?" I asked Bella when I reached her.

"I'm fine." She looked up. I followed her gaze to see Charlie standing on a balcony above us. On one side of him was the blond female guard, on the other, another guard with olive skin and a bald head. Both had weapons visible. All three were staring right at me and Bella.

"I need you to do something for me," Bella whispered.

"What?" I asked, feeling a sense of dread.

"I'm going to go play. I need you to relax and go with it."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I growled.

"I'll come back to you," she promised, looking to the side. "That girl there, she wants you."

I looked over to see a scantily dressed girl watching us. Watching me.

"Go dance with her."

"Huh?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Go. Dance. With. Her. Ignore me. I'll have Alice come get you when it's safe."

She kissed my cheek and pulled away.

I glanced at the girl again. She was kinda hot, but I didn't want her. I wanted my doll.

Before I could move, Bella's lips were at my ear. "And don't let her touch your cock. It belongs to me."

Then she was gone, swallowed by the crowd and away from me. I approached the girl Bella had pointed out cautiously.

"Hi," she purred. "I'm Joy."

"Edward."

"You're hers?"

I wanted to say yes, but Charlie was still watching me. I smiled at her instead.

"I'm no ones."

She grinned. "Good."

We began moving. I tried to pay attention to her, but I was more worried about where my doll was and what "_playing_" consisted of. I'd catch glimpses of her, but that was it. It was almost as though she were intentionally staying out of my line of sight. That made me more agitated than anything.

Joy's hands were all over the place. I let them roam over my arms, chest and back, but the second they begin fiddling with the waistband of my pants, I move them back up. She continued to try to seduce me, but I had no interest.

"Are you shy?" she teased.

"No," I grunted, pushing her hand away from my dick again.

"Come back to my quarters with me then."

Before I could say no, Alice stepped in between us.

"Excuse me," she smiled sweetly at Joy. "My turn."

I laughed as she pulled me away.

"Thank you."

"I didn't do it for you. Bella's ready to go."

We walked through a door where I my doll was standing with Jasper. She didn't appear happy, but she smiled at me regardless.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Charlie wanted to make sure I wasn't getting too attached to you."

"Are you?"

She smirked and tugged on her viper bites with her thumb and index finger. "Maybe."

"What did you do to convince him?"

"What I always do. I flirted, I gave people what they needed and I left by myself. He must have been satisfied, because he left five minutes before Alice interrupted your. . . seduction."

"She's got nothing on you."

"I know." She laughed. "That's exactly why I sent you her way. You ready?"

"Absolutely."

Jasper and Alice walked in front of us, hand in hand. Three flights up the stairs, they said goodnight. Bella kissed Jasper so close to his mouth it was almost enough to piss me off, but Alice didn't seem agitated by it and he was hers, so I let it go. She was taking me to her bed once again so I had no reason to be angry.

When we got to her quarters, she began stripping down. I watched her until the last stitch of clothing was peeled from her body before I taking off my shoes and pants. I'd forgotten my shirt in the club, but it didn't matter.

Bella climbed into bed and I followed, scooping her tiny body up into my arms and kissing her along her collarbone.

"I want to make love to you," she whispered, threading her fingers through my hair as I kissed the flat area between her breasts. "I want it slow and gentle. I want to feel everything the way it's supposed to feel."

"Okay," I panted working my way back up to her neck.

"But I can't. Not tonight."

"Why not?" I asked, halting what I was doing to see her face.

"Because I'm going to bleed soon. My hormones run high during this time. I need it hard and fast or not at all."

I stared at her in confusion. Did she want me to fuck her or not?

"As much as I want you, we need a break." She lowered her eyes. "I'll bleed tomorrow for three days. If you want to go back to her until I'm done, I won't stop you."

"I don't want her," I insisted.

She touched my face and I felt a feeling of euphoria hit me. "I can make you cum if you'd like."

I shook my head. She didn't get it. "I'm not an animal, Bella. I don't need sexual gratification for the sake of it. I'll wait for you."

"You're the first to ever say no," she murmured. I ignored the comment. I didn't want to think about others.

"What about you? I'll do whatever you need. I don't have to use my cock. If you want to feel good. . .

She giggled. "I want you to hold me. All night. That will make me feel good."

"That's it?"

She nodded.

"Okay," I agreed, trying to will my hard-on away. It wasn't actually that difficult. One image of her in that fucker James' grasp deflated me completely. I didn't know what Jasper had done to him, but if he ever tried to get that close to Bella again, I was going to rip his beating heart right out of his body and shove it down his throat.

She moved onto her side and I settled in behind her, my arm wrapped firmly around her waist, my thigh draped over her legs. It didn't take long for the exhaustion to completely overcome my body and I was almost grateful for Bella's insistence that we take a break. If we _had_ started what would have very likely been another all night fuck-fest, I would have been dead by morning.

"You're the first to ever do this too," she said softly, running her fingertips over the hair on my arm.

"What?" I mumbled, half asleep.

"Treat me like a lover and not a means to an end."

I kissed her shoulder before burying my face into her hair.

"Hmmm. That's because I'm not looking for an end."

**~xoxoxoxo~**

**AN: Awww. Our assassin is getting all sweet on us. . . sort of. LOL. Thank you again for reading. :oD**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thank you to both Melee03 and 6dlb5 for pre-reading for me, especially b/c I know how busy/crazy/manic your lives are right now. :oD **

**Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing. **

Chapter 7:

When I woke the next morning, I didn't even have to open my eyes to know that Bella was not beside me. I stretched and sat up, straining to hear where she was. When only silence greeted me, I frowned. I waited for twenty minutes before my agitation got the better of me and I got up. I wandered into the bathroom, took a piss and turned on the shower. As I stepped in, I realized that it was the first time in days my dick hadn't been in some state of arousal. Maybe because it was the first time in days I hadn't been within ten feet of my doll. This fact irritated me even more. I glared down at it, willing for it to get hard, or twitch or. . . something. It didn't. Not even when I tried stroking. Great, I was going to be fucking impotent now unless she was in the room.

Stepping out, I wrapped a towel around my waist and made my way back into the bedroom.

"Nice." A female voice startled me and I nearly fucking dropped my towel, but grabbed it just in time.

"Jesus Christ, don't you people ever knock?"

Rose turned around and looked at the fabric covered door. "No."

I wrapped it around me even tighter and went about searching for my clothes.

"What are you embarrassed about? Your body's hot. And a big birdie told me you're hung like a horse."

I shot up, my back straightening like a board. "What the fuck?"

"Look. Bella knows my husband inside and out. I only think it's fair I know a little bit about her lover, don't you?" Rose pressed her lips together in a vain attempt to hide a smile. She was fucking with me.

"What do you want?" I groaned.

"Bella was required in the medical unit this morning. She didn't want to wake you."

"She could've fucking told me where she was going," I snapped.

"That would've required waking you now, wouldn't it?" I stared at the blond, who simply raised a brow at me. "Come on. I am the _fortunate_ soul who gets to take you on the full tour of our humble abode."

I shook my head. She was a sarcastic bitch. But I kind of liked her.

"I need food."

"Well, you're in luck. First stop on our journey is the cafeteria."

I pulled out a pair of cargo pants and was about drop the towel, when I realized Rose was still standing behind me. I turned to and shot her a glare.

"Awww, come on." She smiled. Whatever. I didn't care. I got naked and pulled them on as fast as I could, then grabbed a t-shirt.

"Get used to it, honey," she said as I pulled on my socks and boots. "Privacy is a luxury around here that none of us can afford. Unfortunately for Bella, it's not one she's allowed."

I stood up and stomped my feet, obviously ready to go.

"Finally," she huffed.

We descended the staircase level by level.

"So where's Emmett?" I asked as we neared the ground level.

"With Bella."

"It doesn't bother you that they used to be lovers?"

"Why would it?"

I shrugged. "They seem. . . .close."

Rose stopped moving and turned to face me. "Something you need to understand, Edward, is that should you be lucky enough to earn Bella's love, you don't throw it away. Yes, it's his job to protect her, but he doesn't do it because he has to. He does it, because he loves her. I love her. There's no competition, there's no jealousy. The sooner you understand how things work around here, the better."

She flipped her hair and continued down the stairs. "Are you paying attention? Because I don't want to have to do this again."

"Do what again?" I asked stupidly before realizing what she was talking about. "Oh, yeah."

"Good. So this is obviously the main living area. At least for couples and single adults. Everyone has their own space. If you want to enter someone's quarters, you need to announce yourself first. If they aren't there and you don't have permission, don't enter. We do not tolerate thieves. Charlie will fuck you up. Don't give him a reason to. Come on."

I followed her through a door and a hallway and down more steps and through another door. On the other side, was the cafeteria. "You've been here before, you know what it is. Over here is where the food is served." She led me to one side of the room where people were picking up different foods. "Can you cook?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Huh. Okay, then you won't need to know the details of the kitchen, unless they want you to clean," she squinted her eyes. "No, they save that for the younger ones. Just know that it's back there." She handed me a stainless steel tray and then started picking out her food. I was surprised to see fruits were offered.

I grabbed a bread roll, an apple, and a bowl of what looked like oatmeal and followed her to a table.

"Where does the fruit come?" I asked, holding up the apple and examining it like there was something wrong with it.

"Uh, trees."

I shifted my annoyed gaze to her and she laughed. "Higher up, we have access to sunlight. We have all sorts of plant life. I'll take you up there so you can see. Don't throw your apple core out, by the way. They'll pull the seeds and compost the rest."

We finished eating and Rose showed me where to put our dishes along with the apple core.

There was a teenage boy on the other side, probably seventeen or eighteen. He leered at Rose. She ignored him.

"That little prick is Jeremy," she said as we walked away. "Watch him. He thinks it's a game to see how close he can get to Bella. Emmett busted him up last month though, so I think he's a little bit more wary now."

I look back at the kid. He's skinny, but he's still bigger than Bella. "Is he dangerous?"

"No. He's just a punk."

Rose pointed towards every single door in the room, telling me where each led. My head was already swimming and we hadn't even really started yet.

"It'll get easier," she told me. "Sometimes you gotta get lost to find your way." She made eye contact with me as she said this and something in her eyes told me she wasn't just talking about location.

We went through the club, which I expected to be empty, but it wasn't. Tables were set up all over and people sat at them working – sewing.

"They can make anything you want," Rose explained. "Every six months, you're allowed to put in a request for clothing. There's a list. You prioritize what you need from underwear and socks, to t-shirts, jeans. . ." she looked down. ". . . cargo pants. They're good. You don't get to choose the color, but it doesn't matter."

"What about shoes?"

"Um, we have cobblers, but. . . leather isn't as easy to come by these days. They do more fixing than making. Our raiders bring back what they can."

"Raiders?"

Rose shifted. "We've got groups that go out and collect what they can from abandoned homes and shops. It's a dangerous job though, and sometimes they come home empty handed. Most people spend a lot of time barefoot."

I glanced at her feet and saw that she was wearing sandals with thin soles and fabric threaded up through her toes and around her ankle.

"Treat those boots well, loverboy."

We continued on, Rose pointing out pretty much everything on our way.

We got to an area that must have been on the complete other side of the mountain, when Rose stopped.

"This is the family living unit," she said flatly.

"Are we going in?"

"Uh. . . yeah. I guess."

She opened the door into a cavernous room. It was similar to the quarters we were living in, but instead of curtains separating each unit, there were complete walls with doors. Like little apartments.

"Wow." I gaped.

"Yeah, well. If you're lucky enough to have babies, it's like winning the fucking lottery." Rose sighed. "The school's in here, too. And a daycare." She turned back towards the door and began to walk out. "Let's go. You won't ever need to be in here, so it's not that important."

I frowned at her. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, sorry. I just figured. . . as long as you're with Bella, you won't have a family, so. . . but maybe I should show you."

I pushed passed her, leaving the room. When we were both out, she shut the door and smirked. "Come on."

The next area she showed me was obviously the medical unit. It was much cleaner than anywhere else in the hive. Stainless steel tables, carts full of bandages and other medical equipment. The floor appeared as though it had been buffed. It was still rock, but it was smooth and shiny. People were everywhere. On one side, there was a guy getting his head stitched up. Next to him, a woman was vomiting. I grimaced and looked away.

"Rosalie." A guy with blond hair approached her grinning.

"Carlisle," she greeted him affectionately. "This is Edward."

"I've heard," he said, smirking at me.

"This is Alice's father."

I nodded at him. "Hello. Your daughter is something else."

Carlisle barked out a laugh. "Yes, she is. She gets it from her mother." The woman who was vomiting suddenly fell over. Carlisle looked at us apologetically before running over to help a young nurse pick the woman up.

From the other side of the room there was a loud wailing. The sound startled me and I realized I hadn't heard anything like it in well over a decade. It was a baby. I glanced over and saw a young woman rocking an infant back and forth in her arms. If I had to have guessed, the child wasn't more than a few months old. The woman looked nervous and agitated. Standing next to her, with his thumb in his mouth stood a little boy of about three.

"Holy shit," I muttered.

"Yeah. She's one of the lucky ones. A childhood friend of Bella's actually." Rose approached the woman. I couldn't hear what they said, but Rose put her hand on the infants head, staring at it longingly. She smiled at the woman and kissed her cheek. Then she bent down to the little boy and spoke to him before poking him in the stomach, making him laugh.

When she returned to me, the smile that had made her a million times more beautiful for that brief moment had slipped from her face.

I looked around. If we were in the medical unit, Bella had to have been close, right?

"She's in a special area," Rose said, reading my mind. "You can't see her right now."

"Why? What's she doing?"

"Getting tested."

I frowned. "What do you mean? Getting tested for what?"

"I told you last night that they run tests on her. Every time she bleeds, they take samples. I don't know what they're looking for, Edward. They're trying to figure out what she is. How she does what she does. She has doctors and scientists all over her for three days."

"That's fucked up," I growled. "She's not a fucking science experiment."

"No, she's not," she spit. "None of us like what she has to go through, but we can't stop it. Don't try it, loverboy, or you will find yourself having an unfortunate encounter with her father."

"I don't give a shit about him," I snarled.

Rose slapped her hand over my mouth and squeezed. I winced, because it fucking hurt. She leaned in close. "He's got eyes and ears everywhere," she whispered, articulating every word. "He will take you out if he thinks you're a threat to his operation. Think about what it will do to Bella to find your body, lifeless, drained of blood. She's lost too much already. Leave it alone."

She stepped away from me and straightened her clothes. I wanted to tell her that I could take care of myself. Maybe if I were in my world, I could, but I wasn't. I was in their world; Charlie's world.

"Come on. It's time to go up."

"Up?"

Rose pointed towards the sky. "Yep. Up."

When Rose said _'up_' she wasn't kidding. We climbed nearly forty flights of stairs. I had no idea the place was that big. When we got to the top, Rose opened a door and I was blinded by sunlight. After spending days underground, it seemed unnaturallybright. I shaded my eyes and tried to follow her. It was hot and I immediately began sweating.

"Jesus," I groaned, wiping the sweat that had already formed on my forehead. Rose just laughed.

"This is the hottest part of the day, because the sun's directly overhead. She nodded in the direction the heat seemed to be coming from. From what I could see, we were standing in a sort of valley of rock. We were actually standing on grass and dirt. There were rows and rows of trees. There were a few people wearing long white linen outfits and hats picking fruit. Beside the orchards were greenhouse-like structures. A dozen, maybe more. Rose led me to one of them and we entered. These workers were barely wearing any clothes at all. Some were watering, some were planting, and others were picking berries and leaves.

"See," Rose said. "We're not all savages. We don't live in filth. We don't eat each other. Well. . . not that way, anyway." She winked and I had to smile.

"I never said you were."

"You didn't, but that's what they think." She lead me back towards the door we came through and back into the mountain. "Tell me that's not what you heard."

I shook my head. I couldn't.

"There's more to show, but I'm going to let Bella do that. Her favorite places are on that tour and I think it's only fair. Now, we need to find you a job."

"What do you do?"

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I do whatever Bella tells me do."

"Anything?"

"Yep."

"No questions?"

"Nope."

"Huh. Why can't I be Bella's bodyguard?"

"Because she already _has_ two bodyguards. I'll make my recommendations, but Charlie has the final say."

"Wonderful. So I could be cleaning toilets for the rest of my life?"

Rose snickered. "That would be kinda funny. It's possible. Charlie has sick sense of humor sometimes."

"I'm glad you find my discontent amusing."

"Don't think you're special, Edward. I find everybody's discontent amusing." She grinned and continued back down to the ground floor. I followed wordlessly.

"Do you think you can find your way back to Bella's quarters?" she asked when we finally hit the bottom.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Good." She looked past me and smirked. Emmett's heavy hand slapped down on my shoulder.

"Your lady's awaiting, man. Gimme mine." He pushed me sideways forcefully. I didn't stay to watch the mauling. I moved through the hive and up the staircase to Bella's.

I almost backed out when I got up there, thinking I had walked into the wrong quarters. She was on her stomach in bed. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing a plain black shirt and pants. Her ankles were crossed, her feet bare. But then her body shifted, and her beautiful, fresh face became visible.

I took off my shoes and climbed into bed next to her.

"Hi," she whispered, her eyes fluttering open.

"Hi. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Was Rose good to you today?"

I shrugged. "She saw me naked."

She snorted. "Sorry, I should have warned you."

"It's fine. She's a fucking trip, though." Bella laughed. I ran my finger over the collar of her shirt. "What did they do to you?"

She smiled softly. "Nothing."

"Don't bullshit me, doll. Nothing doesn't take four fucking hours."

Bella looked away from me. "They take samples. . . from inside me. They do ultrasounds and scopes. It's not that bad."

"They do it every month?"

She nodded. "Since I was fifteen. They're no closer to finding out what I am than they were three years ago, but that doesn't stop them from trying."

"Charlie orders it?"

Bella scoffed and rolled over onto her back. "Haven't you learned anything?"

"I've learned that he treats you like a fucking animal," I spit, lifting myself up onto my arm. "He uses you."

"He doesn't."

"_YES, HE DOES_!" My voice was harsher than I expected, but Bella didn't flinch. She sat up and glared at me.

"What is he supposed to do?" she begged. "These are his people. They count on him for survival and procreation is part of that. I am the solution. I can help them."

"So, what are they going to do when you die?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you immortal?"

"Don't be stupid, Edward. Of course I'm not."

"Then someday. . . you're going to die. Then where will they be? All he's doing is prolonging the inevitable. For whatever reason, nature's decided that it's time for our species to die off. He can't change that. YOU can't change that."

"But I can. I have," she cried. "That's what you don't understand. There are hundreds of babies that have been born because of me; because of what I can do. That's a whole new generation."

"You're willing to give up everything that you are for this?"

"Yes!"

I frowned and shook my head. "It's not right."

Her hand reached out, cupping my jaw. "And what if it weren't me?" she asked softly. "What if Rose was the one with the ability to encourage pregnancy? What if you and I wanted a baby together and she refused to do anything about it?"

"Then I would love you and only you until the day that we died."

She lowered her head and placed her lips on mine. I reacted immediately, pushing her back so she was under me.

"I want you," I whispered against her mouth.

"I know. Two more days."

"I don't care about that you're bleeding."

"I can't, Edward."

"Why? I can feel you want me, too. You can't hide that."

"Exactly. I can't hide it. I'm not allowed. It'll mess up their tests."

"Fuck their tests." I rubbed myself against her, making her moan. Encouraged, I rocked into her again and again. Her energy surrounded us, enveloping me in an intense haze of lust. I reached down and unbuttoned my pants, freeing myself. "Control it," I ordered.

"I can't," she whimpered breathlessly.

"Yes you can. If you don't want them to know. . . control it."

"He'll know. He always knows." She started to push me back. "Edward, stop. He'll hurt you if he knows what you're doing."

I lowered my head, frustrated. I felt her fingers run through my hair and her hand rest on my head seconds before exploding into orgasm all over her. I gritted my teeth, trying to get through it, but the heat of intense anger flooded my veins, overwhelming me. I ripped myself away from her and flew across the room. "Don't ever fucking do that again!"

She sat up, her eyes losing any of the life that had just been there.

"I told you last night, that's not what I'm looking for. You are not a means to an end for me. If you can't accept that, then maybe I should walk away now."

"Maybe you should," she said softly, refusing to look at me.

My chest ached. I hadn't expected that.

I tucked myself back into my pants and stormed out of the room, fighting the urge to turn back around and shake the shit out of her. I stepped down onto the ground below Bella's quarters and turned, hitting a brick wall in the form of Emmett.

"Whoa, whoa. Where you off to, brother?"

"Where's your wife?"

He gaped at me. "Wanna try that again?"

"You're wife? I need a place to sleep."

"I'm not sure what you've been hearing there, brother, but you ain't sleeping with my wife."

I had a feeling if Emmett actually thought I intended to fuck his wife, I probably would've had a busted up face already. When he realized I wasn't in a joking mood, he jerked his head towards the stairs.

"She's in our quarters."

I took off as fast as I could. I had to get away.

"Announce yourself!" he shouted after me. I waved him off and continued on.

When I got to the level where Emmett and Rose's quarters were, I could see her inside through a crack in the curtain. She was making their bed.

"Rose," I called.

The curtain pulled back and she stared at me with a hand on her hip. "Piss her off already?"

"She pissed me off. I need my own quarters."

She scoffed lightly. "You're an idiot. Come on." I followed her down another flight of stairs and along the walkway. "Here."

It was small, but I didn't care. It had a bed, a small bathroom, and a place to put my clothes. . . . Motherfucker. I'd left everything I owned at Bella's.

"I'll tell Emmett to bring your things," Rose said with that creepy mind reading shit she seemed to be able to do.

"When do I get a job?"

"I told Charlie I thought you'd do well in either the medical unit or in security. As soon as he makes the call, I'll let you know."

"And what do I do until then?"

Rose shrugged. "Stay out of trouble. You've just put a target on your back."

She left me standing there, alone in my new quarters. I made the bed with the sheets that were stacked on top of the mattress, neither of which was as soft as Bella's. That irritated me to no end. I'd rarely slept in nice places before, but in a matter of days, I'd become spoiled.

I stayed in the room, lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling for hours. I heard people coming and going. At one point there was a loud whistle that echoed off the walls. Then there were more voices. Eventually, I got too fucking hungry to stay there anymore. I headed down to the cafeteria. I kept my head up, but only because I needed to see if Rose's warning was accurate. It was. I got jacked three times in the shoulder just on my way.

Standing in line to get food, you'd think I was invisible. People kept stepping in front of me. I was about to deck some shirtless dude with a sun tattoo covering his entire back when I caught the eye of Alice. She tilted her head, staring at me for a minute before turning away.

I got my dinner and found a seat in the corner of the room, away from all the people socializing. I was just about to shove a spoonful of some bean concoction into my mouth when I felt someone standing next to the table. I sighed and looked up.

"Hey," Alice greeted, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"Hey."

She sat down across from me and started eating.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Uh. . . what's it look like. I'm hungry."

"You're not gonna. . . like shoot me when I'm not looking, are you?"

Alice laughed. "No. And neither is anyone else. Relax and eat."

"Does everybody know?" I asked. She looked me seriously.

"Word travels fast . . . . and you have a big mouth."

"I didn't say anything!" I protested.

"You told Rose, very loudly I might add, that Bella pissed you off and you needed your own quarters." I opened my mouth and shut it again. "There are eyes and ears everywhere in this place Edward. I'm surprised no one's told you that."

I returned my focus to my dinner, dipping my bread and taking a huge bite.

I heard Alice sigh. "No one's ever walked away from her. You can't begrudge them a little animosity. We're all extremely devoted to her."

"So why are you sitting here then? Why aren't you trying to take a shot at me?"

"She's my sister, Edward. I love her. I'll always be on her side, but I know how she feels about you. I'm here to protect you. For her."

"I don't need protection," I snorted.

Alice just hummed and continued eating. When I finished and got up, she got up. She followed me back to my quarters wordlessly. I was about to tell her to back off, but I turned around and she was gone.

After entering my quarters, I saw that Emmett had brought my things down. I didn't bother with them, though. I stripped down and flopped down into bed.

Despite my best efforts, I didn't sleep well. About once an hour I wondered what the fuck I'd done leaving her. Listening to the sounds of lovers all around me was excruciating. It wasn't just the grunts and moans either. It was the whimpers, the laughs, the murmurs between them. I felt like a pussy for wanting her with me, for feeling guilty about getting mad, but I wasn't one to go crawling back. Not yet anyway.

For two days, I laid low, waiting for. . . something. I wandered the hive, figuring out as much of the geography as I could. There were still areas I didn't dare go into. I was a little worried I would get lost and never find my way back out again.

I knew I was being watched. When it wasn't Alice, it was Jasper or Rose. None of them really talked to me, other than to say hello, but they were always close by. I decided not to fight it. I only saw Emmett once. He came up behind Rose in the cafeteria and whispered in her ear. They both glanced at me and away again.

I never saw Bella.

Finally, I got fed up. I hadn't heard from anyone about what I was supposed to be doing. I felt useless and was extremely agitated. I found myself pushing back when people got in my way. I almost started a fight with some fucker who grabbed the last piece of bread at lunch, but Jasper stepped in between us and leveled me with a stony glare. I wasn't messin' with him. I'd seen what he could do.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked when she passed by my quarters and found me packing up my shit. Not that I had that much, but I had taken everything out of my duffle.

"I'm leaving," I answered flatly.

She laughed. "And where do you think you're going to go?"

"Anywhere. I don't belong here."

"If you don't belong here, honey, there's no place for you."

"At least out there I had a purpose," I snapped. "I wasn't just fucking. . . . wasting my time."

"You have a purpose, Edward. We just don't know what it is yet."

"Well, I'm done waiting. I'm heading out first thing in the morning."

"Okay," she shrugged, her expression hardening. "One less thing for me to do. Just remember, once you leave, you can't come back." She turned her back on me. "Good luck with that purpose thing."

"Fuck you, too," I muttered under my breath.

I didn't bother with dinner that night. Instead, I pulled my pillow over my head and attempted to figure out where I was going to go. The few surviving members of my family didn't want anything to do with me, and I didn't know where they were anyway. I'd barely escaped my job with my life. If I tried to go back, they'd probably kill me on the spot. And. . . there was the lingering pain of not ever seeing my doll again. I tried to push it back, ignore it, but I couldn't. In those few, short days, she had become a part of me. A part of me I wasn't sure I was willing to give up just yet.

I wondered if my feelings were just a part of whatever it was she did to people. I'd never, ever felt so intensely towards anyone like that. Again I considered crawling back to her. I fell asleep with the image of me on my knees, begging her to forgive me, and being humiliated by rejection.

~xxx~

I woke with a start at some point in the night. It was pitch black and deadly silent. After lighting a candle on the side table, I looked up through exhausted eyes and thought I must be dreaming. My doll stood at the base of my bed in a white nightdress. She wasn't wearing any make-up and her hair was hanging down over her shoulders.

I sat up and just stared at her.

"You're leaving me?" she asked in a soft voice. "Would you have even said goodbye?"

She looked ethereal in the flickering candlelight and I still wasn't sure she was actually there.

"I didn't think you'd care."

She lowered her eyes and flicked viperbites with her tongue. "Of course I care."

"You told me to go."

She started to crawl across the bed until she was directly in front of me, her knees on either side of my thighs. Her hand touched my chest while her eyes scanned my face. My dick hardened inevitably.

"If I hadn't stopped you when I did, I wouldn't have been able to tell you no. I'm weak when it comes to you. I didn't mean to push you away. I was afraid you'd get into trouble. I don't want you to go, Edward. I want you with me."

I just stared at her.

"Please stay."

"I don't want you manipulating me anymore," I warned. "That was fucked up."

"I thought I was helping."

"You wanted me to stop, I stopped. You forced me into that. You made _me _feel like a means to an end."

Pain flashed in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I. . . didn't realize." She looked away.

"I've been lied to too much," I said quietly. "I love being with you, but I want to know that when we're together, it's real."

Her fingers trailed over my stomach and then lower. "It's always been real."

I took a deep breath as she palmed my erection through my pants.

"Never doubt that, Edward. I can't promise that I'll be able to hold it back," she said, stroking me a little more aggressively. "I won't do it on purpose, though. Not like that."

"That's all I ask," I assured. "I don't. . . want to be a puppet."

Bella frowned. "That's not what you are. I'm sorry I made you feel that way." She stopped what she was doing. "Do you want me to go?"

I shook my head, running my own hands underneath her nightgown and up her thighs. "No."

She smiled, placing her fingertips on the waistband of my sleep pants. Her eyes flickered up to mine. "Can I?"

I nodded and watched her drag them down my legs. She took my erection in her hand and squeezed firmly. I moaned and pushed my hips upwards over and over again until her hand was coated in slippery pre-cum.

Reaching for the ties that held the front of her dress together, I pulled them loose one by one. It slowly fell open, revealing her breasts.

"Fuck you're beautiful," I groaned.

"I missed you," she whispered.

She lifted herself up and then slid down onto me, letting my cock fill her. "I missed you too," I rasped.

I let my mouth explore her collarbone, dipping to swirl my tongue around one of her nipples and then the other. She let out a whimpered-cry and began rocking her pelvis against mine.

The haze swept around us and began building.

"Please try," I begged.

She nodded and continued moving. Her whole body writhed on top of me. I leaned back and braced myself on the palms of my hands. If I needed to let go of control for her to concentrate, I would.

After about ten minutes, I started to feel her shake. "I. . . I can't. . . I can't hold it back," she stuttered.

"It's okay, doll," I grunted. "You want me to. . ." She started nodding frantically. I ripped her gown up over her head and flipped her over, moving fast. She let it go and we were both catapulted into orgasm. The combination of pleasure and pain nearly caused me to bite through my tongue.

"Ahhhhh," I groaned.

"Are you okay?" Bella asked, her eyes wide.

I couldn't answer her at first. I had to wait for the needle feeling all over my body to die down.

"I'm fantastic," I eventually got out.

"Was it bad? You looked like it was hurting."

I laughed. "Oh, God, no. It wasn't bad. It was just. . . fuck." Still hovering over her, I pushed her hair from her face. "I was a fool to think I could have let you go. I'm too fucking addicted to you." I shifted my weight a little. Of course I was still hard. I smirked. "Wanna do it again?"

Bella giggled and wrapped her legs around me.

We had sex three more times before she completely wore me out. I was pretty sure Bella could have kept going, but she let me rest. I started laughing when I heard a humming sound from all around us. The place really was a fucking hive.

"Edward?" Bella whispered, her arm tightening around my waist.

"Hmmm?"

"Tomorrow, can we go back up to my place? This bed's really uncomfortable."

~xxx~

We were woken up the next morning by an extremely unpleasant noise. I cracked open my eyes and saw Rose standing in the doorway. I groaned.

"What is it?" Bella sighed, not bothering to cover herself as she sat up.

The wary look on Rose's face made me nervous.

"He's to be a raider."

"What?" I asked, confused.

Bella shook her head. "No."

Rose nodded. "Charlie just sent Alice with word. The team returned a few hours ago. Alastair and Johnny were both taken out last night. They need replacements."

"What are you talking about? My job?"

They both ignored me. Bella jumped out of bed and threw on her nightgown, heading for the door.

"Bella, you're not going to change his mind," Rose said, stopping her. My doll's head snapped up, a fury in her eyes I hadn't seen before.

"Watch me."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **

** Okay, The only excuse I have is that I really wanted to finish up DiMD before I continued. With that being done, The Hive is now the only Fanfiction I am working on and it will be my entire focus until it's completed. I do apologize. The rest of the story IS outlined and I hope to be updating much faster. **

**A huge thank you to my pre-readers 6dlb5 for being so patient with me and catching my mistakes, and Melee03 for helping me work through a nasty case of writers block. All mistakes are mine.**

**Also thank you to everyone who has stuck by me. As many know, things in my life have been a little turbulent and I am doing my best to keep up with everything, so thank you for your understanding. **

**A QUICK RECAP: Rose gave Edward a tour of the Hive while Bella was having tests done on her. Bella and Edward got into a fight about her "responsibilities" in the Hive. He requested his own quarters and then decided to leave the Hive altogether. When Bella found out, she went to him and told him not to go. They made up and when they woke the next morning, Rose announced that Charlie was making Edward a raider. **

Chapter 8:

"Get out!" I shouted at Rose.

"What?" she gaped.

"I said . . . get the fuck out."

She scoffed and looked at Bella who was pacing across the room. "What are you going to do?"

I wrapped the sheet around my waist and stood up, reaching for a pair of cargo pants and slipping them on before dropping the sheet. Yanking a clean shirt out of my bag, I grabbed Bella by the arm to make her stop.

I startled for a second when I felt an electric shock emanating from my extremely agitated doll, but I didn't stop. I draped the shirt over her head, covering her. She swam in the fabric, and it made her look even younger, but her face told an entirely different story. She was a pissed off woman.

Rose cleared her throat. "Bella?"

"He can't get away with this," she said in a low voice.

Rose laughed humorlessly. "You've got to be kidding me, right? He's been fucking with you and your lovers for years and you've never done shit. He knows you too well. Deal with it, Bella. There's no point."

I turned abruptly, charging for Rose. "What part of get the fuck out don't you understand?" I wouldn't have touched her. I just wanted her out. It didn't matter. Before I could get within reaching distance, I was knocked flat on my ass.

"Brother, I like you, but if you touch my woman, I will rip your still beating heart from your body," Emmett said dangerously.

I shook my head, trying to figure out where the fuck he'd come from. Holding my hands up, I apologized.

"Sorry, man, but she's out of line."

"She's also right." He offered me a hand up. I wasn't gonna mess with him, I took it and got back up on my feet. "I brought some clothes," he said, nodding towards a bag he'd obviously dropped in the process of laying me out. "We'll be outside." He took Rose by the hand. She smirked at me as she left. Bitch.

Bella began digging in the bag, pulling out clothes before stripping my shirt from her body and handing it to me. I put it on and watched her dress in a pair of tight black shorts and a green tank top, followed by her leather boots. Grabbing a smaller bag, she brought out a mirror and a pencil, lining her eyes. Gone was my fresh-faced lover, only to be replaced by the painted doll who had drawn me in.

"Stop it," she growled.

"Stop what?" I chuckled, knowing exactly what she was talking about. She wasn't in the mood to play though. She was still worked up – and not in a good way.

I sighed deeply and followed her out. Once we made it to the main floor. Emmett and I walked beside her while Rose guarded her from the front. We didn't really need the escort. People were curious, but didn't approach us.

Reaching Charlie's quarters, Rose opened the door, allowing Bella in before turning to me. "You'll thank me later," she whispered.

"Thank you for what?" I spit.

"Now she'll at least put up a fight."

I didn't get a chance to respond.

"Well looky what we have here. Isabella," Charlie greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Don't!" she snapped. "You know exactly why I'm here."

"Do I?"

Alice stood to the left of Charlie, semi-automatic in hand; expressionless. She made eye contact with me for a split second before I shifted my gaze to her belly, wondering if she would continue to act as Charlie's guard if and when her pregnancy began to show. She shifted uncomfortably, catching her boss's attention. He glanced up at her, squinting. She swallowed and the mask returned. He continued staring at her for a minute, but she didn't falter again.

"You can't do this!" Bella yelled, drawing his attention back to us.

Charlie narrowed his eyes, bringing his eyebrows close together.

"Why are you so upset? You've never cared before."

"He's mine. You promised me," she bit out.

"I did no such thing," he sneered.

"I'm not done with him. You can't have him."

I could feel my anger growing as they argued as if I weren't in the room. Most of the time it was beneficial for me to fade into the background – to go unnoticed. This was not one of those times.

"We lost two raiders last night!" Charlie growled. "I've got to send a new team." He looked me up and down. "He's fit. He's strong. He knows how to be invisible out there. And when he comes back safe and sound. . . you can celebrate. This is a win-win for all of us now, isn't it?"

"And what if he doesn't come back?"

"Yes. What if?" Charlie laughed. It was loud, echoing off the rock walls that surrounded us. Then he stopped abruptly. "You're being stupid. I'm sorry if your new toy is the best equipped for the task, but that's the way it is. He needs a job. We need new raiders. It's done. The next crew leaves in two days."

I'd just opened my mouth to tell Charlie to fuck off, when suddenly I felt an uneasy tension roll over me. Alice's expression suddenly changed – she looked worried.

I glanced over at Bella. She was locked in an intense gaze with her father. Whatever she was doing was directed right at him.

"Enough, Isabella," Charlie warned, glaring at her. "You know better than that." The blond guard on his right lifted her weapon.

I put my hand on her waist, feeling her flinch. She looked at me and then back at Charlie. I'd broken whatever it was she was doing, but Charlie was clearly still feeling the effects. He was shaking. I wasn't the only one to notice it either. Alice's eyes were trained on his hands, which were gripping the arms of his chairs.

"This isn't over," Bella said, her voice eerily calm. "You think you can play games with me?"

"He'll be fine," Charlie's voice was tight. "I'm done with you. Go."

A smile appeared on Bella's face. She walked slowly over to her father, bending down to kiss his cheek. "Whatever you say. . . Daddy," she spoke before standing back up. Charlie swallowed and wet his lips.

"Let's go, bro," Emmett said, startling me from the interaction. I turned back to look at him and noticed Rose was leaving out the door we'd come in.

"She's not coming?" I asked, nodding towards where she'd disappeared.

"Nah. She's got shit to do. Go get your girl before she brings this place down." I nodded. As calm as my doll was on the surface, her eyes were on fire.

"Come on, baby," I said, wrapping my hand around her arm. "Let's get the fuck outta here."

Once out of Charlie's quarters, into the stairwell, I felt Bella sag a little. I indicated to Emmett that he could leave.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll take her."

"Den?" I nodded. "Kay, man. I'll be back." I watched him take the stairs two at a time and then turned.

"What the fuck just happened?"

Bella laughed, but there wasn't any humor behind it. "Nothing. Father-daughter spat," she growled.

She took off down the steps, leaving me to follow – which, of course, I did. The second we hit the den, she was in my arms, her lips against mine.

"I don't want you to go," she whispered, gripping the front of my shirt desperately.

"Doll, I'll be fine." I smoothed my hand over the back of her head and down her neck. "What's the big deal?"

"Do you know how often we lose raiders?"

"You're not going to lose me," I assured.

"They'll sacrifice you before any others if they have to. That's why he's sending you. He knows you're different. He knows the longer you stay, the more loyalty they'll show you. Right now, they're jealous. He just put a huge target on your back."

"Jealous of what?"

"This," she said, touching her hand to the skin beneath my shirt – the hum of electricity vibrating between us. I couldn't even describe the feeling if I tried.

"Fuck that feels good," I moaned.

"I know," she said softly. "This is what they don't get. I can make them feel good, but not like this."

"What is it?" I asked, letting the hum flood through me.

"I don't know," she answered, shaking her head. "It's never been quite like this." Taking a deep breath she stepped back. "I just know I'm not ready to let you go."

"You won't have to. I've lived out there my whole life, baby," I assured. "I'm not afraid. There's nothing out there I can't handle. Give me a little credit."

She nodded sadly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

Her eyes flickered up to me. "Yes. Why?"

"Just making sure, baby." I picked her up and moved towards the sofa we'd defiled the last time we were down there. Tossing her down, I covered her.

"Next time, let me fight my own fucking battles," I said, my voice coming out gruffer than expected.

"That wasn't entirely about you," she protested.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean . . ." she said, flicking her metal with a sexy little smirk. "It's time I started showing my father that I'm not his little puppet anymore."

~xoxoxoxo~

We spent the rest of the day on our own. Everyone who would have normally bothered us left us alone as long as they could, but eventually the reality that I was leaving hit us both. I was called to prepare for the crew's departure. To distract herself, Bella spent some time with Carlisle, helping out in the hospital wing.

The following day was more of the same. I was impressed by how intelligent and efficient the raiders were. They – we – had been given lists of what each division of the Hive needed. Clothing, fabrics, medical supplies, school supplies, books and, of course, weapons if we could find them. They laid out maps and had routes planned out. I mostly watched. They didn't want my opinion anyway. I could feel the distrust and animosity towards me. I was known as '_the new toy_.' It pissed me off, but I let it go. They were the guys I was going to have to rely on to show me the ropes. The last thing I needed to do was give them an actual reason to target me even more.

When we were done, it was time relax and let loose.

"That's fucking right. Don't fuck with me motherfucker or I'll fuck you up. That's what I told him."

"Emmett."

"Nah, man. That shit isn't right."

"Emmett."

"Whatever."

"Emmett!"

We all laughed. Emmett was trashed and in the process of fighting with a pillow. Rose was obviously irritated, but since she was drunk too, couldn't help from giggling. Sitting in the den with them along with Jasper, Bella and I were the most relaxed we'd been since my arrival at the Hive. The weed we were smoking wasn't hurting that either.

"Jay! You sure your woman ain't gonna be pissed?"

Jasper shook his head and took a hit of the blunt I passed him.

"What's she doing, anyway?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Working late. Charlie's got some bug up his ass about someone threatening him. He's taking extra precautions."

"Who?" Bella asked leaning forward to take the weed.

"Don't know. You know how paranoid he gets."

"You ever worry she'll get in the line of fire?" I asked, still curious about how her pregnancy was gonna affect her job, but unwilling to ask.

"Yeah, but she can take care of herself better than most. Probably better than me."

"Nah. I doubt it. I've seen your ninja moves."

Jasper laughed, taking a swig of whatever the shit was we were drinking. "She's much better than me."

Bella lifted the blunt and inhaled. She glanced over at Rose, who smirked and crawled over on her hands and knees.

"Shit, I love it when they do this," Emmett cheered, following.

I looked over at Bella. As hot as you might think it would have been to see them get it on, I wasn't feeling it. I didn't want _anyone_ else touching her. She knew that. I watched as Rose got real close and tilted her head. Emmett and Jasper both tilted their heads and I quickly realized I was doing it, too. Without touching, Bella opened her mouth blowing the smoke directly into Rose's. As Rose inhaled, her eyes rolled back, her chest heaved, and her tongue came out to wet her lips.

It was definitely fucking hot.

"Dude," Emmett groaned, adjusting himself. Rose drew back and blew the smoke out above her head, before leaning into Emmett's arms. Bella curled into me, her head in my lap.

"Too much. I think this is my cue to leave," Jasper laughed lightly. I hadn't even realized that Bella was emanating her energy, but sure enough, there it was.

I'd grown used to the initial feeling – when she first got turned on. I couldn't always tell when it was happening. Especially if it was coming out of left field when we were in a public place. But the minute I began touching her, she lit up like a Roman candle and it was undeniable.

I watched as Rose led Emmett further back into a more secluded part of the den. I thanked God for that. I'd already seen enough of them to last a lifetime and I sure as hell didn't want them watching what I was gonna do to my doll.

It was our last night together. I was leaving with the raider crew the next evening just after dark.

Bella sighed deeply and rolled over so her face was right over my crotch.

"Want something?" I asked, chuckling.

"No," she answered, much to my dismay. She grinned and used her hand to unbutton the top of my pants. "I _need _something."

"I'm sure you do."

"Are you getting tired of me yet?"

I shook my head. "Never."

Hearing the sounds of Rose and Emmett on the other side of the room, I rolled my eyes.

"Can we . . ."

"Yes," Bella agreed, getting up. She led me to the far corner of the bedded area. The thick curtains drowned out any and all outside sound. We could have just gone to her quarters, but the air was thick with smoke and incense. It was warm and I felt good where we were.

Plus, walking to her quarters would take at least twenty minutes and that was just too long. I wanted to be inside of her immediately.

She stretched out on her back, reaching her hands above her head lazily.

"Are you going to come closer?"

"Maybe."

She bent her knees and spread them, making room for me.

Alrighty, then.

Kneeling down, I didn't waste any time removing her clothes. Piece by piece, I exposed more and more flesh until she was completely naked. I'd seen plenty of naked girls in my lifetime, but they all looked the same to me. They all had the same parts. Bella was different. Every time I saw her, I saw something different. The freckle under her lower left rib; the faint scar just above her belly button.

I positioned myself between her thighs, lifting her legs over my shoulders and cradling her hips in my hands. We made eye contact as my tongue darted out to lick her. I loved it when she watched me. Swirling my tongue in random patterns around her pussy, I relished the fact that I had to tighten my grip on her so she couldn't wiggle.

"You're playing with fire," she scolded, moaning loudly as I sucked on her clit.

I stopped abruptly and pulled away when I felt her '_enhancing_'.

"Don't do that," I ordered. "I don't want it."

"Edward." She looked at me apologetically, but I wasn't taking no for an answer. If this was the last time I ever had her – fucked her – made love to her – I was gonna make it count.

"Just don't."

She nodded reluctantly. Satisfied, I bent my head, kissing her.

We tried to take it slowly. I figured if I had any chance of keeping her energy at bay, I couldn't let the animalistic lust that I felt for her take over. After discarding my clothes, I slid into her, feeling her take me in inch by inch.

At first, there was a sense of relief that washed over me, but then came an overwhelming urge to consume. It was like being a starving man, the first taste is soooo satisfying, but then you eat more and more and you can't get enough because you don't know when the next time you'll get your next bite will be. Bella met me thrust for thrust, her body moulding to mine in every way possible.

"God," I grunted into her neck. "Every fucking time." I could feel her shaking. "Hold onto it, baby," I pleaded. "It's so good."

"I'm trying," she whimpered, her breath hitching and her mouth dropping as I changed the angle I was taking her from. "Edward!"

Her eyes glazed over. She was there and she couldn't stop it from hitting full force.

The moment she came, the room exploded. It wasn't just me, although I throbbed painfully as I emptied myself – but the whole fucking room pulsed with a violent wave of . . . whatever. Sexual energy I guess. Whatever it was, it held me in place – unable to move or speak or practically breathe. It didn't end for what felt like forever, and when it finally started to relent, my whole body shook.

"I'm sorry," Bella gasped as I clamped my teeth together. It's not that it didn't feel good. Physically, it did, but at the same time, it was so intense I felt all my emotions at once. My eyes started watering. "Are you okay?"

Bella reached up and wiped my cheek, which was wet from my eyes leaking.

"See," she sighed. "That's why I don't do it. It hurts."

"It's fine," I grunted, regaining my senses. "Fucking intense, but fine."

"No, it's not. I'm not doing it again."

I pulled out of her shook my head.

"Why the fuck do you do that?" I asked, not intending to be harsh, but certainly feeling agitated. Before she could answer, I continued. "When I tell you I'm fine, I mean I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I'm still fucking hard for you," I growled, nodding down at my dick. "I could go again and again and again. And it has nothing to do with your _energy_ or whatever the hell it is. I'm hard for you when you're not even in the fucking room. Stop telling me that I'm going to get sick of you or that you're going to wear me out. Jesus, doll. Just shut-up and let me lo. . ."

Shit. I'm not going there. I just fucking met the girl. I can't.

I tried to get up, but her hand shot up and grabbed my wrist – a strength I never would have expected from her holding onto me.

"Stay," she whispered. "I want you to stay with me."

I briefly considered leaving still, but the way she was looking at me. . . I couldn't. I gave in and laid back down next to her.

"You're a real pain in my ass, you know that?"

She giggled, pressing her lips against my shoulder. "Yes," she answered. "I do."

~xoxoxoxo~

"Come with me. I want to show you something," Bella said late the next morning.

"Where?"

"My favorite place. You'll see."

I didn't like not knowing. I felt like since the day I'd arrived, I'd been in one unknown situation after another. That's how people got themselves killed and yet, I kept letting it happen. All for this woman I'd just met, but who was already coursing through my veins like a drug.

"I don't know how to describe it," she said, reading my discomfort. "It's a cavern deep within the mountain. Will you trust me?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes."

I hummed. I didn't have a choice.

I followed her in silence, occasionally stopping to kiss the shit out of her in a dark corner. After what felt like a fucking eternity, we came out into a wide, massive cavern.

The sun peered through giant cracks in the rocks overhead. Vines and moss hung from the ceiling of the cavern and water poured from a rocky cliff into a turquoise lagoon. It was seriously like being in another world. That shit didn't exist. . . not anymore anyway.

"Where are we?"

"Deep. No one's allowed here."

"Why not?"

"They say it's not safe – not protected. I come here to think."

"Think about what?" I asked, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Nothing." She shrugs. "Everything. It's the only place I know I won't be disturbed. Not even Emmett will come down here. Jasper came once. He's not afraid of anything. But he knows what this place means to me. He leaves me be."

"What about Charlie."

"He's not afraid. He'd just get lost," she snickered.

She was quiet for a minute – breathing in and out heavily – staring at the roof of the cave.

"What are you thinking about right now?" I asked.

She sat up. "I'm thinking. . . I want to swim."

"Swim?"

"Yes."

"Now?"

She nodded, smiling playfully.

"Okay."

She stripped off her clothes easily. I watched her enter the water, pale skin almost glowing. She was perfection. Diving head first into the water, she disappeared beneath the surface. When she popped back up, she grinned.

"Are you coming in?"

"I don't know, doll," I said, bending down and splashing the water with my hand. "It's kinda cold. You know what that sort of cold does to a man, don't you?"

She stood up, the water at her breasts. Every few seconds I'd get a glimpse of her nipples as the tiny little waves created by the waterfall subsided.

"You have nothing to worry about. I'll keep you warm," she purred, flicking at her viper bites.

I chuckled, standing up to strip down. Once naked, I shivered unexpectedly. "You sure there aren't any voyeurs around here?" I asked, looking around.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'd feel them." She stepped forward, her breasts appearing once again above the surface.

"I'm waiting, Edward."

How Bella was managing in the freezing water was beyond me. She had no extra fat on that tiny body to insulate her. I had to take a few extra breaths just to keep myself from backing out.

"Fuck," I hissed as the cold water hit my balls, causing them to retract. Another step forward and I was covered to the hips, but I had to close my eyes. A second later, I felt her hand on my chest, the other one gripping my hand and leading me further in.

Her energy surrounded me. She was right, my body began to heat up. I could feel the blood pumping through my veins. I opened my eyes to see her smiling at me.

"See, it's not so bad."

Her hand slipped down below the water, sliding over my dick.

"And it hasn't seemed to have affected you here either," she teased.

"_You _affect me there."

She stroked me for a few more minutes before I stopped her.

"Why do they say it's not safe?"

"There are creatures in the water that eat flesh," she stated.

"What?" I practically screamed. I didn't give a shit that I sounded like a little girl. If there were things in the water that were gonna eat my pecker, I was getting the fuck out.

She giggled loudly. "I'm kidding, Edward. The caves _and_ the water are perfectly safe. It's Charlie's way of controlling the people. Fear. It's how he keeps his power."

"But he's afraid of you?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I saw what you did to him. What would have happened if you hadn't stopped?"

"If you hadn't distracted me?" I nodded with a snort. "I would have been killed," she said simply.

"I doubt that."

"Don't doubt anything in this place, Edward," she said in warning.

"Charlie needs you. And I know for a fact Emmett and Alice wouldn't have let him hurt you. They've told me as much."

"There are other ways to kill someone than simply ending their life," she said quietly.

I studied her, trying to figure out what she meant. Her eyes lowered. I could feel the chill of the water again and shivered.

"Let's get out of here before my balls freeze and fall off."

"No, we wouldn't want that now, would we?" she laughed softly.

Once back on the shore, Bella laid on the ground, her naked body looking long and lean. I positioned myself on my side next to her, tracing the droplets of water as they slid from her skin.

"Who are you, Edward?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"I'm nobody," I answered.

"You know all about me. I want to know more. Where did you grow up?"

"On a farm. In Iowa."

"Iowa," she repeated. "I think I know where that is. Did you like it?"

I shrugged and then laughed. "Yeah. I guess in the beginning. We didn't live in the city, and we lived mostly off the land anyway, so we didn't feel the effects of the failing economy right away. My parents were really good at keeping all that from us."

"Us?"

"My sister and brother."

"Older or younger?"

"My sister was two years older, my brother eighteen months younger."

"Your parents didn't have fertility issues?"

I frowned. "No, I. . . I don't think so. I don't know."

"Tell me what you did on your farm in Iowa, Edward. Did you have animals?"

"Yes."

"What kind?" she asked, grinning.

I chuckled. "All sorts. A dog. A couple of cats. Chickens, pigs, cows, and some horses."

"Wow."

"Yeah. My day always started by collecting the eggs. I'd go to school, come home, do homework, help my dad do whatever he was doing on any given day, eat dinner and go to bed. In the summer we spent a lot of time swimming and collecting bugs. Sleeping in the barn loft."

"I like that," she sighed. "Sounds perfect."

"I guess it was. . . for a while."

"What happened?"

"When things started to really get bad, people started getting desperate. We couldn't protect ourselves like we needed to. People were desperate. One night, we got raided."

I could remember the night like it was yesterday. I was twelve.

"What did they do?"

"They shot my dad; tied me and my little brother up, assaulted my mother, and took my sister with them after they'd taken everything else of value and set fire to what was left."

"Oh, God," Bella cried softly. "I'm so sorry."

"My dad survived. But. . . we had to leave. Even if it hadn't been burnt up, it wasn't safe there anymore. And it didn't feel the same. Sofia's family got raided, too. Her brother and father were killed. She and her mother escaped to our farm and we took them with us."

"Where did you go?"

"There were camps set up all over the place. Some of them temporary, some permanent. We made our way through them until we found a place we could settle down again."

"And you were safe?"

I shrugged. "As safe as we could be at the time. When I was sixteen, a group of mercenaries came through. They were looking for young men and women to fight for their cause. To destroy the government who'd betrayed them."

"And you joined?"

"Yep. They. . . didn't give me much of a choice. It was the only way to protect my family."

"Did you ever find your sister?"

"Yeah." I didn't elaborate. I didn't need to. Bella knew it couldn't have been good – and it wasn't. "That's it. The rest is kind of a blur. I was trained to fight, to shoot, and to kill. I did what I was told."

"So you joined them to protect your family and ended up losing them because you did."

"I guess. Yeah." I took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter anymore."

Bella lifted her head to kiss me. "I'm sorry you lost your family, Edward. But I'm happy you found me."

~o~o~o~o~

Hours later, we stood in the entryway of the Hive where I'd first been scrutinized and approved to enter.

The other raiders were laughing and talking. Those who had partners were saying goodbye. I watched as one of the female raiders, Zara, held her toddler in her arms. He had no idea what his mother was about to face.

Bella was at my side. I looked down at her. Even when I was engaged to marry Sofia, I'd never worried about myself or her. If I didn't come back, I didn't come back. Such is life and death in this world. But now. . . now I worried. I wanted to come back. I wanted to see my doll again – touch her. . . love her.

The heavy iron doors opened, letting fresh night air in. The crew began to file out.

I wasn't going to say goodbye, though. Neither was she. We stared at each other. I studied her face, hoping that I had ingrained every single detail into my memory.

And then I turned, and walked out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: See, not too bad. I'm working on chapter 10 right now. **

**Thank you, as always, to my wonderful pre-readers Melee03 and 6dlb5. And thank you for continuing to read and review. You all keep me going.**

**I hope you enjoy a different point of view. **

~xoxoxoxo~

Chapter 9:

BPOV

I watched him go – walk out the front door with a gun attached to his back and another at his hip. There was a feeling in the pit of my stomach I knew wouldn't go away anytime soon.

I can influence other people's emotions, but I can't control my own. Doesn't seem fair. But I've become used to that – life not being fair.

Esme checked them out as they went, offering each one a smile that said '_hope you don't get slaughtered, but if you do. . . it's been real_."

As Edward approached her, I saw her expression change – soften. She put her hand on his arm like he meant something to her even though she'd only met him once.

He never looked back.

I guess I appreciated that. It didn't allow me the opportunity to see his eyes as he returned to the world he'd been trying to escape in the first place. The world we'd all been trying to escape.

I didn't know what it was like out there. I wasn't allowed outside. All I knew was that it wasn't safe.

I'd heard stories though – from the returning raiders and others who hadn't been at the Hive very long. Cities were destroyed. Buildings crumbling – burning. People were desperate and violence was rampant. The military and the rebels were in a fight to the death and anyone who got in their way was just collateral damage. Families. . . didn't exist anymore. Brother turned against brother. Father against son.

I watched the raider Zara's husband lift their child into his arms. What an odd couple they made – him meek and mild, her fierce and strong. The child didn't cry. This wasn't the first time his mother had left him and assuming she returned, it wouldn't be the last.

Zara was a fighter, always had been. It was that strength that brought her back from the brink of death after losing her uterus in childbirth. She nearly bled to death. I remember seeing her as Carlisle nursed her. Her brown skin paled, her lips blue. I was sure she was dying.

Her husband brought their child to see her every day – let her hear his cries and feel his soft skin against hers. When she woke, she never reacted to the loss of her womb. She was only thankful for the life she was able to create before the ability was stripped from her. And determined to do whatever she could to protect that life. Even if that meant putting hers at risk.

I sighed and turned to leave the foyer, only to be stopped by Esme.

"Why don't you join us for supper tomorrow night," she offered. "Alice and Jasper will be there."

Esme and Carlisle had their own quarters in the medical wing. A perk of Carlisle's position. Esme was able cook small meals and it afforded them more privacy.

"I will, thank you," I told her. "My father's given her the night off?"

Esme laughed lightly. "Not exactly. But he knows who he would be relying on should he ever be . . . injured. I encouraged him to take his _family _into consideration."

The sparkle in Esme's eye was more than just amusement. As frail as she appeared, I had no doubt that she could take on the entire Hive when it came to battle of wits and intelligence. Anyone who didn't take her seriously was a fool.

Charlie was no fool.

"I'll see you tomorrow evening," she said, bowing her head slightly before disappearing through a door.

I retreated to Edward's quarters for the rest of the night. They would never look for me there. I knew it was selfish. The few nights after the raiders leave are nights for celebration. People gather at the club. They dance, they drink, they fuck. I didn't want to do any of that.

"He's going to be angry with you," Rose warned me.

"Would you go if it had been Emmett sent away?"

She shook her head, not even needing a moment to consider the question. "Not the first time, no," she admitted. She shrugged. "No. There'd be no reason to celebrate for me. Okay. Do you need Emmett?"

I shook my head. "No. Take him."

When she left, I laid back on Edward's bed. . . and fell asleep.

~xoxoxoxo~

I was summoned to my father first thing in the morning while I was eating breakfast with Jasper and Emmett.

"Where were you last night?" he demanded the moment I entered his quarters.

"I was sleeping."

"You were required to be at the club. You've never missed a send off."

"I wasn't in the mood," I said calmly. "I shouldn't have to explain why."

He scowled at me. "You, Isabella, are pushing it. He is nothing. There were dozens of men waiting for you last night. You could have had any of them."

"I didn't _want_ any of them last night," I protested. "You think they are so easily replaceable. They're not. Any of them."

I wasn't exactly being honest. Some of them were very easily replaceable, but to single out Edward, was to put his life in greater danger. Charlie was already threatened by him – already suspected that my attachment to him was far more complicated than it appeared.

"I can't just move on from one to the next. I'm not a whore." I flickered my eyes to the woman standing behind him. One of the many who'd succumbed to Charlie's power and lust.

"Watch yourself, Isabella," he growled lowly. "There's no need for that. I expect you at the club after your. . . engagement with my cousin."

"I'll be there," I acquiesced. "But don't expect me to give freely. I'm still not in the mood."

I turned away from my father, leaving him to his dalliance.

"Are you trying to antagonize him?" Jasper asked quietly as he escorted me out.

"I'm not _trying_ to do anything," I answered. "My father wants to play control games? Then I'll let him. But I'm done letting him dictate how I live."

I didn't look at Jasper as I said this, but out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw him smile.

~xoxoxoxo~

I arrived at Carlisle and Esme's quarters the next evening with a heaviness in my chest I couldn't shake. Nevertheless, I plastered on a smile when Alice opened the door for me.

Their _home_ was modest and small, but more refined than most. It had a bathroom, a small kitchen, and their living space and bedroom were separated by an entire wall and a door. Alice had grown up there, her bed blocked off by blankets and curtains. The space was now open, but several of her pictures still hung on the wall. They made me smile every time I visited.

The smell of bread was strong, mingling with other delicious aromas. Esme had a small fire burning in a hearth. A stew pot sat on a griddle above it. A freshly baked loaf of bread was on a cooling rack to the side.

It wasn't so different from what we'd eat in the dining hall, but for some reason, it felt different. There was also a bottle of wine sitting on the table. Wine wasn't something most of the Hive had access to. We had brew and hard liquor, but wine was a delicacy. Grapes are not as easy to grow as one would think.

Carlisle and Jasper sat at a table playing a game of chess. Jasper was a strategic genius and very rarely, if ever, lost a game. But Carlisle kept trying.

"Supper should be ready in about twenty minutes," Esme said, stirring the stew one last time before replacing the lid and standing up to greet me.

She slipped her arm around her daughter's waist and kissed her on the side of the head. "Take that thing off," she scolded. "I don't want it in my home."

Alice rolled her eyes, but slipped her gun from her belt and set it on a side table. I watched Esme join her husband, leaning against him with her hand on his back; smiling and laughing when Jasper beat him yet again. It felt so odd, being in such a _family_ setting. It was something I'd never get used to.

When supper was served, we sat on cushions on the floor around a circular table. Everyone bowed their heads. Religion was not something I understood, but Carlisle and Esme had both grown up with it – had raised Alice with it. I respected their traditions.

"We pray for the new life growing within our daughter, for the safe return of our raiders and for the bounty they may bring us. That it may keep our people safe and healthy. Amen."

I could feel their eyes on me when it was finished, but I didn't look up. I focused on the meal in front of me until I felt Alice's hand squeeze mine beneath the table, reassuring me that my affections were safe within those walls.

The wine was served and it was much easier to relax. We talked and laughed, but inside I felt like a huge piece of me was missing. And he was.

"I should go get ready," I said apologetically about two hours later. "I'm expected to _perform_ this evening." I couldn't keep the bitterness from my tone no matter how much I tried.

Esme looked at me sadly. "Don't stay away so long next time," she said softly. "There is always a place for you here."

"I'll go with you," Alice said, stuffing her Beretta into the holster at her waist. She hugged her parents and kissed Jasper.

I said my goodbyes and the two of us left.

Alice was small, but she was an amazing bodyguard. Her reputation as someone who wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger proceeded her, and no one ever dared challenge her. We walked silently and undisturbed to my quarters.

I collapsed onto my bed, throwing my hands above my head. Alice set her gun down on a shelf and flopped down next to me, her shirt rising and exposing her pale skin.

Turning over, I put my hand on her bare stomach.

"Can you feel him?" she asked, putting her hand over mine. I laughed.

"No. I'm not magic. He's still too small."

"Oh. So it _is_ a boy?" she asked excitedly.

"I don't know, Alice. You said he, I said he."

She stuck her lower lip out in a pout.

"I love you, Bella. You did this."

"No, I didn't," I said, shaking my head. "You and Jasper did that."

"Yes you did. There's a part of you in this baby whether you want to believe it or not. Everyone feels that way."

"I wish they wouldn't," I murmured.

Alice sniffed. "I know it's a burden. I know what you have to give up for us. I know it's not the same, but these are your babies, too. And. . . if anything ever happened to me, you'd take care of him for me, right?" she added quietly.

"Nothing's going to happen to you."

"But if it does?"

I leaned down, kissing her hand that rested on top of mine. "I'll love him more than anything, Alice. No matter what."

~xoxoxoxo~

I showered and dressed slowly, wearing a short black skirt, a ragged brown top, and my boots. I painted my face as I typically did, heavy on the eye and lips, light everywhere else. My hair I pulled back, but only because I knew it would get hot with all the bodies. I wasn't that concerned about how I looked.

The club was already thumping when Alice and I arrived. Eyes flickered our way as partners writhed against each other. I could see Laurent in his leather pants and bare chest up against the wall, his mouth against the neck and his hand down the pants of another man, groping, feeling.

Normally, I would have given them a boost. I liked Laurent. He knew I'd like Edward and although I was positive I would have found him regardless, Laurent served him up for me that very first night.

Unfortunately, I had nothing to give. I felt nothing.

"Here," Rose said, appearing at my side with a shot. She handed Alice another. Alice shook her head.

"Relax, it's just water. But unless you want prying eyes to question you, I suggest you pretend."

Alice and I looked up only to see Charlie on the overlook watching us.

"Bottoms up," Alice cheered, toasting me and downing her _shot_.

"Thatta girl," Rose laughed.

For most of the night, I stayed close to my friends, but eventually I could feel Charlie's irritation. I wouldn't give him what he really wanted, but until Edward returned home, I needed to play nice. My father had a far-reaching grasp and if I couldn't be with my lover, I'd protect him however I could.

When Jared, a young guy who worked as a mechanic approached me, I smiled.

"Dance with me?" he said, his words confident, but his voice not quite as sure. I took his hand, sliding off my chair and adjusting my skirt.

The music playing was slow and rhythmic with a pulsing beat that I could feel in my veins. For a while Jared kept his distance, but when the beat changed, so did he. He drew in close, his arms encompassing me against his body. I tried to summon the urge, the desire, but nothing came. I turned, so that my back was against his chest. Closing my eyes, I could almost imagine it was Edward holding me from behind. His warm breath on my neck, his heart beating rapidly through both our bodies.

His hands slid across my chest, covering my breasts. And that was it. It wasn't Edward. It was Jared. And I didn't want to be there.

I pushed his hands away, but he persisted, the second time squeezing my flesh roughly, almost painfully. Even if I had been available, no one was allowed to touch me without my permission – not like that. I elbowed him in the gut and turned to face him. But Emmett already had him by the neck. I could see him struggling to breathe, his face turning red and then purple.

Emmett's attention was drawn upwards, as was mine. Charlie shook his head, looking bored. Emmett let the guy go, tossing him to the ground like a rag doll. He dragged himself backwards a few paces before getting up and running in the opposite direction.

People around us were staring. I could feel their curiosity, their irritation, and . . . their fear. Who was this girl that stood before them? Who had she become in two short weeks that had her eliciting fear rather than lust?

I felt the pressure of their conflicted emotions. It was too much. I needed to get out. I needed to hide.

"Jasper?" I begged. "Get me out of here."

Without hesitation, he swooped me up into his arms and carried me from the room. The crowd parted. I knew Charlie would be pissed, but I didn't care. Jasper carried me up three flights of stairs like it was nothing before I insisted he put me down.

"I'm sorry," I rasped. "I didn't mean. . ."

"You had every right," he answered firmly. "Don't apologize. Ever."

When we made it to my quarters, he pushed a strand of hair from my face. "I'll stand guard."

"You need to go to Alice."

"I will. When I'm sure you're safe. She'd kick my ass if she knew I'd left you," he added with a smile.

"Thank you," I whispered.

After I'd climbed the ladder to my quarters, I stripped myself of everything, and stepped into the shower. I scrubbed my skin roughly. I felt the need to be clean, to be pure. When I was done, I dried myself off and slipped, naked, beneath the sheets, burying myself into my bedding. I inhaled deeply. It smelled of him – of us.

As the bass beneath me vibrated, I thought about the night I'd first seen him – as he stood with Laurent, looking so. . . astounded. I felt him from across the room. The attraction was unbelievable – intense. I knew I needed him.

The memory was so clear. How he took control of my body, but lost control of his.

I drifted my hands over my stomach. His hands. I could feel them. Across my breasts – his fingers on my flesh. I arched my back and moaned before reaching down between my legs. I wanted it to be him, his mouth on me, his tongue.

I felt my skin flush. He'd been so raw in his need – his desire. I ached to have him inside of me. I didn't allow myself to consider that this was the only way I'd ever have him again – in my dreams, my fantasies. He'd come back to me. He'd come back and claim me. I was his and always would be.

My fingers worked in tandem with the images in my head. His cock pulsing in and out of me. His muscles straining. As I hit my peak, words of passion and love and eternity streamed from his lips which were pressed against my ear.

I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want the reality of his absence to come crashing down on me. I breathed deeply, my chest heaving as I came down from the high of my self-induced orgasm.

The grief came out of nowhere, bubbling up and tipping over. I couldn't control it. Tears streamed down my face like I'd just poked a giant hole in the emotional dam I'd carefully constructed to protect myself.

Rolling over onto my stomach, I buried my face in the pillow, hiding my sobs.

~xoxoxoxo~

I spent the next ten days in relative seclusion. I did my duties – helped out in the hospital and tended the gardens, but otherwise, I hid out in the library, reading books on history and science and the occasional novel.

I tried to return to the club, but found little pleasure in watching others mate while I waited for word of the raiders. Edward was always in my thoughts.

Charlie was getting frustrated. I knew he was, but I couldn't bring myself to emit anything for anyone. I once read a book about basic psychological conditions. I guess what I suffered from would be considered depression by those who once studied the subject.

I was sitting on the floor of library one evening, exactly two weeks after the raiders had left, when Rose appeared above me.

"They're back!" she breathed heavily.

My head snapped upwards. "What?"

"They're back. Come on." I dropped my book as she pulled me up.

We ran to the foyer as fast as we could. Word was quickly spreading that the raiders had returned. Others were also making their way there.

Emmett was waiting for us, a smile on his face.

"It's about fucking time. I'm tired of your moping, girl," he teased. I wanted to laugh, but until I saw Edward's face, until I kissed his mouth, I wouldn't be satisfied.

They filed in too slowly. I examined each one as they came through. Some were fine – not a scratch. Others looked rougher. Blood and dirt streaked faces, bruises marring pale skin. I winced as I saw Zara limping with blood soaked cloth wrapped around her knee. But they had bags. Full bags. I couldn't help but be happy for my people. The last two raiding trips hadn't brought very much.

The door slammed shut. It was loud and chaotic. People were whooping, smiling, laughing. Everyone was talking. Those injured were being attended to by Carlisle and the other medical team members. I should have been helping him, but my attention was on Esme, who was walking around, checking them in. I couldn't see him, but he had to be there. I scanned the room. I scanned again. . . and again.

I looked up at Emmett who was standing about ten feet away. He didn't make eye contact with me.

My heart dropped. He wasn't there. Edward hadn't come home.

~xoxoxoxo~

"Where is he?" I demanded, storming into the hospital wing.

"Who?"

Zara was laying on a bed. Her leg, just above her knee was wrapped in a fresh bandage.

"You know who, Zara. Where is he?"

"I don't know," she said flatly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" I questioned angrily. "He's part of your crew!"

She took a deep breath. "We were under attack. About thirty miles east."

"From who?"

"I don't know. Another raider crew? Military? I never saw them. We were loaded down – headed back. They started shooting at us and. . ."

"What?"

"He took a hit. That's all I know. I was already down. I didn't see what happened."

I stared at the wound in her leg. "But they got to you. They got you out."

"I asked about him," she said quietly. "They said he was too heavily covered and they couldn't get him out."

"You left him?"

"We don't know who he is, Isabella."

"You. Left. Him."

She looked away, almost as if she actually regretted what they had done.

"Like I said, he was down. Probably already gone. We couldn't risk any of our own for him. Not for a body."

"Any of our own?" I lowered my head. "Sacrifice one for the many."

"Exactly," she said, nodding. "It's a good death."

"Good death," I repeated emotionlessly, turning away from her.

I'd never thought of it that way, but she was right. It was a death. A slow, painful death.

~xoxoxoxo~

I had to make the decision quickly. If I waited and deliberated too long, I'd be found out. I returned to my quarters. I wouldn't be able to carry much. I threw a pair of long pants made out of a thick, hearty material and a long-sleeved shirt into a knapsack. In a small pocket, I shoved a few valuables, hopefully for trade.

When I was done, I made my way down to Edward's quarters. Looking around, there wasn't much. I picked up a shirt from a side table and held it to my nose, breathing in. It was faint, but I could still smell him.

"You're planning to leave, aren't you?" Alice's voice startled me. I was usually so much more perceptive than that, but she'd caught me off guard.

I didn't respond. I didn't have to.

"Just tell me why," she begged. "At least give me that."

"I need to find him. Dead or alive, I can't do what I'm supposed to do anymore without knowing," I said, breathing out a long breath. "I can't. . . be what I need to be. I'm no good to anyone."

"Did he mean that much to you? That you'd leave your people? He wasn't even here that long."

"How long did it take you to fall in love with Jasper?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. Four days. She knew from the moment she met him that she wanted him, but it took four days for them to realize that Jasper was never going to be able to return to the outside world.

"It's different."

"Why? Because I'm not allowed? You've been spending too much time around my father," I snapped.

"And you've forgotten who I am. You know my loyalty is to you."

"Would you have let me kill him?" I asked, bringing up the moment in Charlie's chambers for the first time. "Because I could have. I wanted to."

"No." Alice shook her head. My heart stumbled. I'd hoped she would have said '_yes_'.

I'd never been so angry at my father as I had in that moment. He'd played plenty of games over the years. He was manipulative and cruel when he wanted to be, but he'd never challenged me like that. There had never been anything I wanted as much as I wanted to keep Edward. Despite my attempts to hide it, Charlie knew.

He wanted to play games? I'd show him the kind of games I could play – overloading his mind and his body with emotions he couldn't handle. If he'd been anyone else, he probably would have collapsed within seconds, but years of mastering control of himself and me had strengthened him.

"Not for his sake, but for yours," Alice explained quickly. "I'm one person, Bella. There were several guns in that room whose loyalties aren't as secure as mine. He gives them whatever they need, whatever they want, to ensure that."

I nodded. She was right. "And that's exactly why I have to go. I need. . . time."

We stared at each other silently for a few minutes.

"I don't want you to go," she finally spoke, her voice wavering. I moved forward putting my hands on either side of her hanging head.

"I love you," I whispered. "My sister."

I'd never seen Alice cry. She was the toughest woman I'd ever known. But at that moment, I felt her sadness, her pain. It was almost enough to change my mind. Almost.

When she lifted her head again, her expression was only one of determination.

"Here," she said, shoving her Beretta into my hand. "Take it."

"Alice, I. . ."

"Just take it. Here." She undid her holster and wrapped it around my waist.

I knew how to shoot as well as any, but I'd never had to. I slipped the gun into the holster and pulled my shirt back down.

Alice walked me to the stairwell where Emmett was waiting for me. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. He knew something was up, but I wasn't about to tell him. I didn't want him to be punished for my decision. The less he knew, the better.

"What's that for?" He asked, pointing at my knapsack.

"I borrowed some books from the library. I'm taking them back."

"You want me to carry it?"

I shook my head and smirked. "I'm entirely capable of carrying my own things."

He lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Just askin'."

We started down the stairs and when we reached the main floor just outside of the door to the foyer, I stopped him.

"What are you doing?"

"Wait here. I need to ask a question."

"Ask who? Alec? Ask him what?"

"Emmett." I frowned. "Mind your own business. I'll be back in a minute."

He stared at me in confusion, but waved me away. "Fine. Whatever. Hurry though, I gotta take a piss."

He cupped himself like a little boy, making me laugh. I'd miss his antics. I wanted to kiss him, tell him how much I cared for him, but doing that would raise his suspicion. He'd never let me go.

I walked away, through the door and away from my friend.

~xoxoxoxo~

"Bella? What are you doing out here?" Alec, one of the security guards called through the open door to the monitoring room.

I walked in and bit my lip. "I need to get out," I said, making my voice as seductive as I could.

Alec's mouth dropped open. He looked a little dazed before he shook his head.

"What do you mean out?"

"Out. The door opened. I need to leave the Hive."

"Nnnnnn. . . o," he stuttered. "No way. I can't let you go, Bella. Are you trying to get me killed?" Alec frowned at me. I frowned right back.

"I'm getting out that door whether you like it or not. You can do as I ask, or I can make you."

Alec stared at me. The look on his face told me that he was contemplating just how serious I was.

Suddenly, the alarm behind him sounded. We both looked up, startled.

"What the hell?"

On the security screen above our heads was a form – a person, slumped against the door. I couldn't see well enough to determine if it was male or female, but something inside me began to ache.

Edward.

"Let him in," I snapped.

"What?"

"Let him in."

"Are you kidding? Who is it?"

I shoved Alec backwards angrily and hit the release button to unlock the doors.

"Shit!" he swore as I ran out into the foyer.

The heavy doors opened and the form stumbled in. His knees buckled, but he barely managed to stay on his feet.

"Edward!" It came out as a whisper, a breath. As if saying it any louder would make him disappear. I rubbed my eyes and looked again, prepared for disappointment.

His eyes lifted, meeting mine in one of those moments I'd only ever read about in the fiction books we had in the library.

My breath got caught in my throat. It was him.

I ran forward, throwing myself at him and causing him to stumble backwards with a grunt.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered, letting him go.

"It's okay, doll," he slurred. "It's just a little scratch."

"A scratch?" I stepped back to look at him. He was covered in blood and dirt. His arm was held tightly against his body. I glanced back up at his face, which was covered by a thick scraggly beard. His lips were cracked and bleeding, his face pale with the remnants of bruising, and his beautiful green eyes were dull and hazy."

"Let me see," I demanded, gently pulling his arm away.

"You really don't want to do that."

I didn't listen. I'd seen plenty of wounds in my life. I carefully lifted his jacket away from his body and lifted his shirt.

"Oh, my God. What happened to you?" His whole abdomen was bruised and distended. There was a gaping, festering wound in his gut, much larger than a bullet hole.

"I told you," he said weakly. "Just a scratch." Then suddenly he collapsed.

"Aleeeeec," I screeched. "Go get Emmett." As Alec disappeared, I bent down, cradling Edward's head in my lap. "You're gonna be okay," I chanted. "I promise."

A few seconds later, Emmett came barreling into the foyer.

"Jesus Christ. Is that Edward?"

"Take him," I begged. "Take him to Carlisle, please."

Emmett nodded and lifted Edward into his massive arms. Edward grunted and groaned, but didn't wake. His head lulled to the side, exposing his neck and another wound in his shoulder.

I ran after Emmett while people stared. It seemed to take forever to get to the hospital wing, but eventually, we burst through the door and into the bright lights.

"Bella?" Carlisle rushed over. "What is this?"

"It's Edward," I rasped. My heart was pounding in my chest, making it hard to breathe. "Fix him."

"Set him down," Carlisle ordered. "Over here. Katie." A nurse rushed over. I watched helplessly as they stripped Edward down, cutting his clothes off with a pair of scissors. His body was in much worse shape than I ever could have imagined. He looked thin and . . . broken.

"Where did you find him?" Carlisle asked, reaching over for a pile of sterile gauze and some cleansing solution.

"He came to the door," I answered. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know."

Katie prepared a needle and slipped it into Edward's arm, attaching an IV while Carlisle cleaned the caked up dirt and blood from Edward's skin. Part of me wanted him to lie to me – to tell me that he knew for sure that everything was going to be fine.

But that wasn't Carlisle. He didn't sugarcoat anything. If you were going to die, he would tell you. That's the way he worked. I took comfort in knowing that he hadn't yet told me there was nothing he could do.

I sat down on a chair in the corner of the room and watched as Carlisle examined Edward's body and wounds. He nodded at Katie and she handed him a pair of long skinny tweezers.

Bullets. He was removing bullets. I heard them clink as they hit the metal tray. When he was done, he set the tweezers down. Katie sprayed saline over the holes and Carlisle stitched them up.

"He's going to need antibiotics," Carlisle said solemnly when he got to the wound in his abdomen. "This is putrid. He'll die without them."

"Do you have any?" I begged.

Carlisle took a deep breath and nodded. "I can spare a few days worth of intravenous. After that, he'll have to rely on his own body to heal him. He's in bad shape, though, Bella."

Emmett helped Carlisle move Edward to a far corner of the room where he could have some privacy and then kissed my head before leaving. Carlisle brought over a heavy blanket and laid it on top of him.

"Talk to him, Bella. He'll hear you," he soothed.

I sat next to the bed and lifted Edward's cold hand, threading our fingers together.

"Come back to me," I whispered against his ear. "I love you."


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Huge thank you to 6dlb5 and Melee03 for pre-reading and helping me through this crazy ride. xoxox I tweaked, so all mistakes are mine. **

**Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing. Please know that although I'm not as good at responding to reviews as I would like to be, I am reading and very much appreciate them.**

**Also, thank you to everyone rec'ing. I've had a lot of new readers lately, so welcome.**

**Here we go.**

~xoxoxoxo~

Chapter 10:

EPOV

I felt like shit. No, I felt worse than that. I felt like I'd been ripped apart piece by piece.

Everything was dark. My body was heavy – my arms and legs like lead. I tried to open my eyes, but they refused. My lips stung, my mouth was bone dry and sticky. Nothing worked.

Maybe I was in hell.

I heard voices speaking softly. One of them I recognized, but couldn't place. The other I knew. The other I knew very well – and I wanted her; needed her.

I opened my mouth – at least I thought I did – in an attempt to speak, but nothing came out. I wanted to try again, but I didn't have the energy, especially when I didn't know if it was real or not. Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe it was there just to torment me.

My head felt clouded, and I drifted back into the blackness.

~xoxoxoxo~

The night we left the Hive was one of the hardest moments of my adult life. I hadn't looked back at Bella before I left. I couldn't. I was afraid my weakness would be put on display for all to see. And if there were ever a moment to hide my weaknesses, that was it. They didn't need to know how much it hurt to walk away, to leave her. That pain was for me and me only.

For ten hours we hiked in silence, headed east towards a city that had once held well over a million people. They'd raided it before, but it was big enough that there were still thousands of places to find supplies. Or at least we hoped there were. It was going to be a long trip.

When the sun came up, we found an abandoned barn to crash in. We took shifts throughout the day, guarding those who slept. I never fell into a deep sleep – always aware of any movement around me and stirring at the slightest noise. Finally, when it was my turn for guard, I was jostled by Zara.

She shook me roughly. "Get up. We've got twenty minutes to eat."

I stood up and stretched, adjusting the satchel I was carrying. We all had them with basic emergency supplies. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

I joined Zara who was sitting next to a low-burning fire. There were two pots sitting in the coals, one containing stew and the other a strong herbal tea.

Zara handed me a bowl and a tin cup.

"Thanks," I muttered. She nodded and dug into her own meal.

She didn't say anything to me that first shift. Nor did she speak at all the next day's shift. It didn't bother me. I had nothing to say either.

On the third day, as we sat watching over our sleeping team members, I felt her staring at me.

"What?" I asked, without looking at her.

"They call you the toy."

I snorted in disgust. "Yeah. I know."

"I don't think you're her toy." Looking up, I saw her stony eyes boring into me. "I think she cares about you more than any other."

I didn't respond. She didn't say anything else.

The next day, however, she spoke again when I was least expecting it. "They're afraid of you. That's why they mock you."

"I figured they mocked all her lovers," I responded flatly, looking out across the landscape towards the city's broken skyline.

"They do – in a way. But out of jealousy, not out of fear. They fear you're going to take her away. You're strong, brave, an outsider. . . and she cares for you. We have no doubt that if you chose to leave, she would follow. You have to understand, she is the reason we thrive. We can't survive without her."

"You've survived for years without her," I bit. "You all are just selfish. It's easy enough to let her sacrifice herself – her life – while you reap the benefit. Maybe if Charlie focused his attention on figuring out what's wrong with _you_ instead of running invasive tests on Bella, you wouldn't be so dependent on her."

Silence followed. I figured she'd either ignored me or was figuring out if she wanted to kill me in my sleep.

"Perhaps," she finally said, her voice low.

~xoxoxoxo~

We reached the outskirts of the city that evening. We had to be in and out by morning. It wasn't safe to be out in the daytime. You'd think we'd be on the lookout for beggars, thieves, and murderers, but we weren't. It was the government we had to watch for. If any of us were caught, they'd execute us. Most likely it would be a very public and very brutal. The funny thing about a warring world is that they all claim to be fighting for what's right. But in the end, it's just one group of people who want to be in charge fighting another group who want to be in charge. No one really cares about the people caught in the middle.

After I was recruited, they spent hours every day drilling it into us that the government was evil and we had to fight for what was ours. They made us believe that we were there for the right reasons. They made us forget that we hadn't really been given a choice.

What I didn't tell Bella was that the first man I ever killed wasn't a target. He wasn't a government official or a spy. He was a rebel. A leader. One of the many claiming their cause was pure and just.

He didn't recognize me, but I knew him. His face haunted me every night. I was just short of seventeen. I knew how to shoot. I knew how to fight. I knew how to make a man suffer. And when I finally got the opportunity – I did. I took him down and made him feel all the pain he'd inflicted on me when he shot my father, raped my mother in front of me, and took my sister away, screaming and crying.

I didn't get caught. Or maybe I did and they just didn't care. I became the zombie the rebels wanted me to be, killing on demand. I did what I had to in order to survive – to protect my family.

We were provided with a house and luxuries we hadn't had in years. We were well-fed and content. Sofia and her mother moved in with us. That's where it began.

We were young and stupid, finding solace in sex and what we thought was love. Eventually, we moved into our own home. She talked about getting married and having babies like we were in some fucking alternate reality where we were safe and protected from what was happening around us. I pretended that's what I wanted, too.

I should have known better than to share the details of my work with her, but she was the only one I believed in. The only one I trusted. I was naïve. And the rebel powers that be punished me for that naivety by giving me a choice. Kill the "_traitor scum"_ who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of our people, or they'd take out my family.

I never told my family the choice I was forced to make. It didn't matter. I was poison to them. Regardless of what Sofia had done, it was me who was responsible for her death in every way.

Over the years, I traveled from city to city, never looking back. I followed targets and took them out emotionlessly. I fucked rebel women who provided themselves to me as part of the cause. I fucked the daughters of government officials just because I could. None of it helped.

I'd heard rumors about the Hive for years, but they were never a target. They were savages. Lost souls. No one cared about a small community of people not trying to take over the world. They had no power, no influence. They were invisible. They were exactly what I was hoping to be.

~xoxoxoxo~

We had fourteen '_treasure chests'_ to locate and explore. That's what they called our raiding destinations. No one knew if we'd find anything or not. They'd been spotted during a previous raid, but there hadn't been time to get to them before they had to leave. It was entirely possible that they'd been stripped already and we'd come out empty handed.

We went in under the cover of night. Zara and I took what used to be a medical clinic. It was trashed. We searched for hours without finding much more than a few pens, some empty saline bags, and a roll of gauze that had slipped under a desk.

I was in a supply room when I took a step to the side and felt the wooden board beneath my foot give a little. Bending down, I tapped on the floor. The hollow sound it made was music to my ears.

I used my knife, prying the board up.

"Jackpot!" I called out, spotting a large metal box. I was pulling up the rest of the boards when Zara joined me.

"Did you find something?"

Glancing up at her I nodded and lifted the safe from the hole. "Please don't let it be empty," I prayed under my breath as I worked to open it.

After a few failed attempts, the lock finally released and the door swung open. "Thank you, God," Zara breathed, staring at the stash.

I pulled the bags out, tossing a few to Zara and looking through the rest. Needles, syringes, tubing. . . and medicine. There had to have been two hundred bottles of both IV and oral medications. Zara looked over at me from the bags she was looking through, which contained brand new wound dressings and bandages.

"This is the first time we've found this kind of stuff in over a year," she said, her voice shaking. "If the others have similar success, we may not have to go out again for a couple of months."

I was so used to Zara's stoic expression that her smile caught me off-guard. I remembered her child and mate in the foyer of the Hive as we left – watching her go. Not knowing if she would return, and if she did, how long it would be before she left again.

"Nice job," she admitted quietly.

We finished with the clinic and moved on, joining some of the other team members in the next building – a department store. Most of the clothes made from quality fabrics had been wiped out, but it didn't matter. We took what we could find, stuffing our bags.

Just before the sun started to rise, we heard the signal whistles from our team and booked it out. We were able to get about an hour outside of the city before it became too dangerous to keep going. We settled down in a grove of trees, out of breath and exhausted.

We ate as a group. I listened as the others boasted of their finds. Canned foods, books, paper, clothing and fabric. I stayed silent.

"Zara! What did you get?" a guy called Alistair asked loudly, a smirk on his face as his eyes darted to me.

I didn't bother to acknowledge him. I tossed the bag I was carrying towards Zara.

"Edward found a safe."

She reached into the bag and pulled out some of the medical supplies.

"Holy shit!" Alistair yelps. "Nice. The docs are gonna be happy."

They congratulated her on the find, ignoring my part in it completely. What-the-fuck-ever. I wasn't looking for glory. I just wanted to get the hell back to my doll.

After everyone had eaten and stroked each other's egos, we settled in for the day and waited for the safety of night to return.

We moved much slower on the way back, being weighed down by the supplies, but no one complained.

About three days from home, we decided to bunk down in a house whose inhabitants had obviously fled quite a while before. It was surrounded by trees and was well picked through, but it was shelter, which we appreciated as the rain pelted us and a freezing wind blew us sideways.

Fortunately, by the time it was my shift to guard, the weather had calmed down and there was a freshness in the air. I found myself wandering around outside, listening to the birds. Had Bella ever heard the birds? Not the ones they kept in cages, but real, live, wild birds. Would that be something she'd like? What would Charlie do if I tried to take his daughter out of the Hive?

A loud shot shattered the silence, and I felt a sharp bite in my right shoulder.

"Fuck!" I yelled, grabbing the spot and ducking behind a tree. I pulled my hand away, ignoring the wetness that stained it red.

My dominant arm was definitely the right side, but the people who trained me knew better. I was almost as good with my left. Almost. I lifted the hand-gun from my waistband, pointing it in front of me. The problem was, I didn't know where to aim. I whistled loudly, alerting the team despite the fact that I was pretty sure the gunshots had already woken them. Within minutes, I could see the other raiders stumbling from the house, looking around with their weapons drawn.

A few more shots rang out from multiple places. First from the direction of a hillside covered in trees, then from the house. Two more shots and I heard a feminine cry.

Another shot pierced my side. Another my leg. They hurt like a bitch, but it wasn't until I felt an explosion in my gut that I knew I was in trouble.

I took a step backwards, clutching at my stomach. Looking down, I watched blood seep through my fingers.

Knowing I was only making myself more of a target in the position I was in, I stumbled towards the house and fell through a side door. No one else was in there. I took a few gasping breaths and fell to my knees. I could hear yelling, but the words were muffled.

I knew I had to act fast or I was going to bleed out. I reached into my satchel and pulled out a strip of fabric. Lifting my shirt, I wrapped it tightly around my waist and knotted it over the wound. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. It would keep from bleeding to death within minutes.

I heard more voices and tugged my shirt back into place. I didn't know who was coming for me.

Looking up, I blinked sweat from my eyes. My gun was still in my hand.

"Don't even think about it," a voice warned. "Drop it."

I gripped the butt tighter, but let go of my weapon when I realized I had a shotgun pointed straight at my head. Trailing my eyes upwards to see who was behind it, I saw a guy with shaggy blond hair. He surrounded by three others. I knew him. I scanned my memory until. . .

"Hello, Motherfucker."

"James," I grunted.

"Ahhh. You remember me. That's so sweet."

"It's hard to forget a face as ugly as yours," I spit, trying to sound stronger than I felt.

He laughed loudly and the heel of his boot connected with my chest. I winced in pain, but stayed upright.

"Emery. Strip him."

One of the guys with him picked up the gun I had dropped and then took my shotgun from my back. He reached inside my jacket before patting down my legs and removing a knife from a holster around my ankle. I was defenseless. Then he took my satchel.

"He's good," the guy said, stepping away.

"Good. Now we can get down to business. I've been given a job to do. One I will happily carry out."

I looked at him in confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

He chuckled, his nostrils flaring. "I guess it doesn't really matter if you know or not now. You see, Eddie. If there's one thing we drones know, it's that we can play with the queen, but she'll never, ever belong to us. Not really. I learned that the hard way, but at least I learned." He held up his left hand. Where his pinky was supposed to be was a small nub. "Hurt like a bitch, but Daddy was forgiving. As long as I do this job and remember who she really belongs to, I get to keep the rest of them. And if I make it really painful, he'll make sure she. . .," his eyes darkened and he smirked. ". . .behaves for me."

My body started to vibrate in anger, but I didn't have time to react.

I felt every last, crushing blow. I went down on the third one, which was aimed just above where I'd been shot in the stomach. The rest came fast and furious. My back, my kidneys, my head. I tried not to focus on the pain. In my mind, it was a training – a test to see how strong I was. I thought back to the comic books I used to read as a kid. I needed to be motherfucking superman – the man of steel.

Eventually, they stopped. I coughed on the blood flowing down my throat.

"Did that make you feel tough?" I choked out, my head resting on the hard, wooden floor.

"Yeah, actually," James snorted. "It did. I'm not an idiot, Eddie. One on one, you've got me beat. Add to it that little posse of bodyguards back at the Hive, and I don't stand a chance. But right now you're at my mercy. I could just blow your fucking head off." He aimed his Beretta at my head and cocked the hammer. Then he lowered it again. "But I want you to lie here and slowly bleed to death thinking about me going home to that sweet piece of ass you've convinced yourself actually cares about you. I want you to think about me taking her. Over. And over. And over again. I'm gonna do her so good she won't even remember your name. And I'm gonna find a way to put a baby in her belly. She may never be mine, but at least she won't be yours."

I closed my eyes and ground my teeth together. His words seared into my mind. I saw his hands on my doll. His lips kissing her soft skin. I heard her voice in my head as she relented to him. I wanted to fight, but sometimes it's better not to. I was already too weak. And he was right. He could easily just put a bullet into my brain and it would be over.

This was not over.

"Fuck you," I growled.

He laughed again and with one more kick to the ribs, everything went black.

~xoxoxoxo~

I don't know how long I laid there, unconscious. When I woke again, it took me a while to open my eyes. They were crusted shut and felt heavy, but I could tell it was dark. I felt like I was covered in a sheet of ice. My body shivered violently. I groaned and lifted my head.

"Shhhh," I heard a soft voice whisper. "Don't try to move too fast."

I heard shuffling. Despite the pain, I forced my eyes open and a figure appeared next to me.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice sounding like I'd just swallowed sand.

"Brianna. Here." She reached forward and a wet cloth touched my lips. At first I couldn't do much. My face felt numb, my mouth swollen. But eventually I was able to suck a little of the moisture in.

"How long have I been here?"

"I don't know. I found you a few hours ago. You've been shot."

"I know," I snorted lightly. "But thanks."

"I tried to clean them, but I don't have much. You've got a fever, too. I don't know what to do for that."

I carefully slid myself into a sitting position. Brianna shifted, her face becoming clear in the moonlight. She looked young – thirteen maybe.

"Are you by yourself?" I asked, glancing around.

Brianna moved away from me. "Why?"

"You're awfully young to be on your own."

"I'm not on my own. They're coming back for me," she said quickly.

"They?" I asked curiously.

"My father and brother. They went looking for food. They'll be back any time."

"Relax, kid. I'm not gonna hurt you." I took a deep breath and felt an intense pain in my ribs. "Ouch."

"I know you're not," she said, lifting her hand. In it was a sleek, black handgun.

I put my hands up slowly. "Don't shoot me, please. I've got enough holes in me already." I smiled at her. She smiled back cautiously. "I'm Edward."

"Did the same person who shot you beat you up?"

I nodded, my head feeling heavy.

"Why?"

"Why not?" I wasn't about to get into the details of my life with this kid.

"Are you a criminal?"

"No more than you are," I answered flatly. Lifting up my shirt, I noticed that I had a fresh wrap around my gut. "Did you do this?" Brianna nodded. "Thanks."

I examined all of my wounds. The ones in the leg and side didn't look so bad. The one in my shoulder could have been worse. The one in my belly. . . that one was going to be trouble.

"I'm surprised you're still alive," Brianna said as I poked and prodded the hole in an attempt to figure out how deep the bullet was. I ground my teeth together and winced in pain. I would have killed for a shot of hard liquor – just to take the edge off.

"Me, too," I admitted, swallowing my urge to vomit. Unable to see anything clearly, I gave up and re-bandaged my abdomen.

"Are you hungry?"

I shrugged. I was fucking starving, but looking at this little girl, she needed food more than I did.

"Here," she said, shoving a box of crackers at me. "They're stale, but they're better than nothing."

"Nah." I shook my head. "You go ahead."

"Don't be stupid," she scoffed. "You're never gonna heal if you don't eat." She shoved them at me again. After a minute of resistance, I relented and took the box.

She was right, they were extremely stale and tasted like shit, but it was food. I ate enough to make the hunger pangs go away, and set the box back down.

"How long have your dad and brother been gone?"

She shrugged. "Two days. We were hiding out in a house a couple miles north. We made our way down to that house across the way and they told me to stay until they got back."

"And you found me a couple of hours ago?"

"Yeah. I heard the shooting and saw people moving out. When I was sure it was clear, I thought I'd see if anything got left behind. You scared the crap out of me. You were moaning. I thought you were an animal at first." I felt a sudden wave of nausea hit me. My body shivered violently. Brianna handed me a flask. "It's clean. I boiled it."

I sipped some of the water and then handed it back. Resting my head against the wall, I closed my eyes.

~xoxoxoxo~

"You're not strong enough, Edward."

"I need to get back."

"Why? If they tried to kill you once, what makes you think they won't try it again."

"They probably will," I admitted.

"Then why go back there?"

I took a deep breath, forgetting just how painful it was. After a few hours of turbulent sleep, I had woken to find Brianna still watching over me. We talked a little. She'd probably saved my life, when she asked me questions about where I'd come from, I felt like I owed it to her to tell her a little.

"My life is there. Where else am I gonna go?"

"Stay with me," she whispered, her cheeks flushing red as if she were embarrassed. I smiled at her and lifted her chin with my hand. She was a cute kid.

"You sure you don't want to come with me?"

She shook her head. "I can't. I promised them I'd stay here. If they come back and can't find me. . ."

"I get it. It's okay. You know where it is though, right? You keep heading west and you'll find us."

She nodded.

"Good."

Her big blue eyes started watering and I almost felt bad, but I couldn't. The rest of the raiders had a good day on me. When I didn't return with them, Bella would think I was dead. They would probably tell her I was dead. Because to them – I was.

Brianna handed me a bag. Looking inside, I found a few scraps of fabric for bandages, and a well-worn water bottle full of clean water.

"I can't take this," I said, shaking my head. I tried to hand it back to her, but she refused.

"You'll need it more than I do. Make sure to clean and re-bandage once a day."

I smiled at her and let out a puff of air. "Take care, kid."

"Good luck, Edward."

~xoxoxoxo~

The journey back was much slower than I anticipated. I wasn't weighed down with anything, but I only traveled at night and my gimpy leg wouldn't allow me to run. I could feel the hole in my stomach with every step.

The first night, I made it about eight miles, but that was a mistake. I found a grove of trees and leaned against one in the shadows, falling asleep almost immediately. When I woke, there was fresh blood staining my clothes. I patched myself up with a clean bandage from the bag Brianna had given me, but struggled. Every muscle in my body ached.

By the fourth night, I had run out of water. My vision was spotty at best and I was beginning to lose feeling in my fingers and toes.

Lying down for the day, I closed my eyes. I saw her face in my dreams. She wasn't painted. She was innocent. Her hair was soft, her eyes bright. There was no trace of sadness in her expression, just love – or rather what I thought love must look like. I dreamed of holding her in my arms, of touching her cheek. Of being inside of her. I was no longer the killer I'd been trained to be. I was her lover, her mate. I had to get back to her.

And I really needed to fucking kill James. Everyone else I would deal with in time, but James was gonna fucking pay. If he laid one hand on my doll, the whole Goddamn Hive was going to have to hold me back.

I don't remember much of the last day. I dragged myself forward, always thinking about Bella and getting back to her. I don't remember reaching the Hive. I don't remember who found me or who brought me in. I just remember waking up and hearing her voice. And at that moment, that was all I needed.

~xoxoxoxo~

"Edward?"

I cracked open my eyes. They were sore, but I didn't care. The sight before me was too great to close them again.

"Am I dead?"

"No," she whispered. "You're not."

"Are you sure? I feel fucking dead. And you look like an angel."

She smiled down at me. "I'm sure. And I'm no angel, baby."

I tried to laugh, but started coughing instead. I felt her hands on my head, running through my hair. Relief. So much relief. Her touch was like nothing else.

"You came back to me."

"I told you I would," I said, my voice coming out raspy.

"You did. I should have believed you." I shifted, feeling my muscles ache and my joints pop. "Do you want to sit up?" Bella asked.

I groaned and nodded. I didn't want her to have to help me, but after a couple of failed attempts on my own, I finally let her.

The position was much more comfortable. I licked my chapped lips, but it didn't help. My mouth was too dry.

Bella stood up and I watched her retrieve a cup of water. When she came back, she put it to my mouth.

"Here, drink this." I did as she said, keeping my eyes on hers. I was thirstier than I thought, gulping greedily and spilling some down my chin and onto my chest. Looking down, I saw I was dressed in a long sheet of fabric; a medical gown of sorts.

Bella set the cup down on a table to the side. "How do you feel?"

"Fine." It wasn't exactly a lie. I was still in rough shape, but I didn't feel nearly as bad as I had. "How long have I been here?"

"A while," she answered, her fingers stroking my arm. "Too long. I was afraid you wouldn't wake up."

"You writing me off that easily, doll?" I teased, before a coughing fit caused my whole body to tense up. When I was done, she ran her hand over my jaw, cupping my chin in her hand.

She shook her head. "Never."

I gazed at her and a warm sensation enveloped me. It felt amazing, comforting. . . loving. I instantly felt stronger. After a few minutes, my curiosity got the better of me.

"Help me get this off." I meant it as a request, but it sounded like a demand. "Please," I added quietly.

Bella's eyes widened. She looked around. "You want to. . . we can't. Not here. Not now. You're not ready. And . . . I can't."

I stared at her for a second and then chuckled lightly.

"As much as I'd love to. . . Yeah, that's gonna have to wait." I wasn't even sure I could get it up at that point, but I wasn't about to admit that.

She let out a breath and her pale cheeks turned pink. "Then why?"

"I want to see what the hell they did to me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Who?"

I shook my head. "I don't. . . we'll talk about that later. I just. . . help me get this off."

She nodded and untied the back before sliding the gown off my chest. The fabric pooled in my lap. My body only held shadows of the bruises. My ribs, although still sore, didn't feel like daggers every time I inhaled. The holes in my shoulder and side were uncovered and appeared healed. The one in my gut was still bandaged. Pulling off the gauze, I examined the wound. It had been stitched closed, but the area around it was still red.

"I've been putting healing ointment on it every day," Bella whispered. "It's better than it was. And you don't have a fever anymore, so Carlisle says it must be getting better."

I nodded and then lifted up the rest of gown. The shot to the thigh looked like nothing more than a scratch, but I wasn't really looking at that. I was looking at my dick, which had a tube coming out of the tip.

"What the fuck is that?" I asked, a little more than slightly freaked out.

"A catheter," Bella answered. "You were unconscious. Carlisle was putting fluids in you. Your body had to drain it somehow."

"So he stuck a fucking plastic tube in my dick?"

Bella giggled. "Now that you're awake, he can take it out."

I looked up at her. Her eyes were bright and I watched her tongue flick at her viper bites. God, it was sexy. Scanning her body, I noticed she was wearing loose, white clothing.

"You're bleeding?"

She nodded.

"How much longer?"

"Two days."

"So by the time I get out of here."

She smiled. "When you're ready, I'll be ready."

My body began to flood with heat. Bella's eyes shifted downwards and she grinned even wider. I had just answered my own question. I was definitely able to get it up, although with that fucking tube in, it was a little awkward.

"You're going to be back to normal in no time," she teased.

I smirked. Reaching for her, I wrapped my hand around her neck and pulled her face down to mine. I pressed my lips against hers, relishing how soft they were against my own dry, cracked ones.

"And then you belong to me," I growled.

She nodded and smiled. "Only to you."

I kissed her again. Our tongues merged together, sliding over one another slowly. I pushed all other thought from my mind. I didn't want to think about anything else but her at that moment. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else ever would.

~xoxoxoxo~

**AN: The End.**

**No, I'm obviously kidding. We still have a couple of things to deal with.**

**Yes, we did just get through TWO sex-less Hive chapters. :-O Never thought that would happen, but we needed a little mush. And Edward needed time to heal.**

**Again, thank you for reading. xoxoxox**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: **

** Yes, I realize that this chapter took much longer. For those who don't know, about a week after I last posted, I had a baby. We spent some time in the NICU and I thought I'd have more time to write, but that didn't happen. And when we got home, I had some time, but not the hands and not the brain power. LOL.**

**In any case, things are starting to settle down, so hopefully the next one won't be so long. **

**Thank you so very much to Melee03 and 6dlb5 for pre-reading and pointing out areas that needed some help. XOXOX**

**Thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting, etc.**

~xoxoxoxo~

Chapter 11:

I wasn't prepared for just how weak my muscles were after lying in bed for all that time. Luckily, Carlisle was. After sending Bella away for more of those fucking tests they did on her while she bled, he took out my catheter.

"You should use the bathroom. I'll help you," he said, wrapping his hand around my bicep.

"I don't need help to take a piss," I laughed. "But thanks."

He smiled at me and raised his eyebrows. "Not to urinate, Edward. To walk."

"I've been doing that most of my life, too. I've got it," I said with a snort.

Carlisle bowed his head slightly and took a step back.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so cocky. Despite losing fifteen pounds, when my weight came down on my legs, they couldn't hold me. I hit the ground. . . hard.

Carlisle didn't run to my aid. He stood back and waited. After struggling for a few minutes to regain my footing, I finally conceded, albeit reluctantly.

"Okay. Fine." I nodded. "Help me."

Carlisle didn't look like a big guy. Granted, the coat he wore hid most of his frame, but when he took hold of me, there was no strain in his face – no indication that I weighed much at all.

He guided me to a toilet, looking away to give me some semblance of privacy as I peed. I was thankful for that.

When I was done, we walked back to the gurney slowly.

"I don't want her to see me like this," I admitted, sitting on the edge.

"She doesn't care how strong you are, Edward."

"I care!" I snapped. "How long until I'm. . . normal again."

"I don't know," he answered, shaking his head. "That's up to you. But you were down a long time. You almost didn't survive. Don't rush this. Healing takes time."

I ground my teeth together, agitated. That's not what I wanted to hear. And the way he said it irritated me even more. The guy was only eleven years older than me, but I felt like a kid compared to him. He was all patience and maturity. I was an arrogant hot-head. At least I could admit it. I just wasn't comfortable being weak. The longer it took for me to recover, the longer it would be before I could rip James apart. And when I was done with him, I was going after Charlie.

A thought crossed my mind. I looked up at Carlisle. "Has anyone. . . stopped by to see me? Other than Bella?"

Carlisle narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "No. Were you expecting someone?"

If I'd been down so long in his territory, why hadn't Charlie sent anyone after me? He could have easily taken me out.

I shook my head. "No. Just curious."

"The only people who know you're here are those who are loyal to Bella or have conceded to keep her secret. She thought it was best to let you heal before announcing your return. Your care here is entirely confidential."

"To _everyone_ else? What about Charlie?"

Carlisle's mouth turned down, his expression becoming slightly uncomfortable. "To everyone else."

"Good." I sighed.

"Is there something you'd like to share, Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"Nope," I answered.

I laid back, situating myself back on the gurney, and closed my eyes. I didn't know how I was going to tell Bella that her father had been the one to order my death. Or maybe she already knew. There had to be some reason for her to keep my return from him. He wasn't going to be happy.

Fuck him. I'd deal with Charlie when the time came.

"She gave you her blood, you know," Carlisle said softly.

My eyes flew open. "What?"

"Bella," he answered. "You needed blood – she was a type match. I transfused her blood into your veins. I was afraid to do it, because of her gift. She insisted. You wouldn't have survived without it, but I don't know what the effects will be if there are any at all. I thought you should know."

"Uh. . .okay," I stuttered, not having any idea how to respond. "Thanks."

"Of course. You should sleep, Edward. It's important to get your rest."

Carlisle went back to his work leaving me to work through what he'd said. In the olden days, before the collapse, blood transfusions had been common. People donated blood to those they didn't even know. But now, that wasn't the case. You didn't willingly give up your life-force for anyone. Unless you cared about them so deeply, you couldn't live without them.

~xoxoxoxo~

I spent the next few days eating and gaining strength; hiding in my little corner with the curtains drawn while other patients came in and out. Bella was with me whenever she wasn't expected to be somewhere else.

James' words rang in my ear every time she left. He was going to try to take her – make her his. He obviously hadn't made his move yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"Don't leave her alone," I warned Emmett."Ever."

"Dude! I know my fucking job," he snorted. "Wait, where'd she go?"

I glared at him.

"I'm kidding. Chill," he laughed. "Seriously. I've been looking after that girl for a long time. I'm not about to let something happen to her now. What the hell has you so nervous?"

Bella appeared behind him effectively ending our conversation. Maybe I should have told him exactly what had happened and what had me on edge, but I didn't trust him or Jasper not to take James out themselves.

At least I didn't have to worry about her at night. There wasn't much space on the gurney I slept on, but that didn't stop her from crawling into my arms. I woke up every morning, my muscles aching from being in awkward positions, and with a massive, throbbing boner, but it was worth it. Especially when I woke to find her hand down the front of my hospital issued cotton pants.

"What are you doin', doll?" I asked, my voice low.

"Shhh," she whispered, her fingers gripping me tightly. "I'm concentrating. Let me."

"I'm not going to stop you," I chuckled, grunting when she slid a finger over the sensitive tip. Her hand slid expertly over my cock, collecting pre-cum as it leaked out, making things slippery and wet.

It didn't take long for me to lose it. My eyes rolled back into my head as I came, my body vibrating in pleasure. Once I relaxed, I looked down at Bella.

"Thank you," I said, pressing my lips against her forehead. "What was that for?"

"I was practicing."

"You don't need to practice _that_, baby." The sentence was barely out of my mouth when I realized what she was talking about.

"Baby steps." She shrugged and nuzzled into my chest. "If I can control myself while pleasuring you, maybe I can work my way up to keeping things between us every once in a while."

I hummed and held her close.

_Every once in a while. Great. _

~xoxoxoxo~

It was nearly a week before I was deemed ready to leave the medical wing. By that time, I was about fed up with being confined. I was anxious and antsy. I took to irritating Carlisle as much as possible. I refused to stay behind my curtain regardless of who was there, I paced back and forth grumbling and griping, and I rearranged his shit when he wasn't looking.

The nurses were beyond flustered as they scrambled to get out of my way. Carlisle, however, gave no sign that he was affected by my behavior. I was sitting on my gurney, figuring out how to up the ante, when Bella showed up with Emmett and Jasper behind her.

"Time to get you out of here," she said happily.

"It's about fucking time. He's a goddamn robot," I grumbled, nodding at Carlisle.

He laughed and leaned against the wall. "I've raised Alice and practically raised Bella. Your antics have nothing on theirs."

Bella bobbed her head up and down in agreement. Jasper smirked. I frowned.

"All right. Let's take this slowly," Bella said reaching out to me.

I watched her tongue slip out of her mouth, wetting her lips as she leaned over. The shirt she wore gaped open at the neckline, giving me a generous view. I lifted my finger to the collar and pulled it down a little further.

"Edward." Her voice hinted at both annoyance and amusement as my intent became obvious.

"If you wanted me to behave myself, maybe you should have covered yourself up a little more, doll," I said, closing the distance between us and pressing my lips against her neck. I rested my hand against her rib cage and slid my thumb over her breast.

"I'm completely covered." She laughed and brought her mouth down to me ear. "And I didn't say I wanted you to behave yourself, but do you really want to do this right here?"

I stopped moving my mouth and looked around. She'd distracted me. I'd forgotten where we were. Carlisle was ten feet to the left, pretending not to notice us as he rearranged his perfectly ordered shelves. Jasper was in the doorway, looking down at his hands and failing miserably to suppress his laughter. Emmett wasn't hiding his entertainment.

"This is gonna be epic," he said, grinning.

"Shut the fuck up, Emmett!" I snapped.

"What? I'm just sayin'."

"Stop it," Bella ordered, her eyes meeting mine. "Please." She extended her hand to me again. I stared at it for a second before taking it. I didn't need any help, I was much stronger than I'd been just days before, but I took it anyway.

"You're not fooling me." She smiled at me as I stood up.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," I lied.

"Well, I hope your strength is back." She leaned in, her lips against my ear. "You're going to need it."

~xoxoxoxo~

We said our goodbyes to Carlisle, thanking him before leaving the hospital wing. Emmett tossed me a jacket with a hood.

"Put that up over your head," he said. "Just in case."

"Just in case, what?"

"Word travels quickly around this place, brother. Anyone sees you, and we won't make it back to the living quarters without being swarmed. Unless you want to be . . . delayed, I'd just put it on."

I took the jacket and put it on, pulling the hood up.

"Now just keep your head down and nobody will even notice."

"Just look like you're guarding her," Jasper added.

"I am guarding her," I grumbled.

"Then it should be easy. Let's go."

I stood close to Bella's side as we moved through the Hive. It wasn't crowded, but there were people floating about. They watched as we passed by them, but no one seemed to notice me. The overall mood seemed much more somber than before I had left on the raid.

Jasper and Emmett took us up the elevator. Once the door had closed, everyone relaxed and Bella took my hand and leaned into me.

Reaching the top, the doors opened and we all exited. Bella started on her way up the ladder to her quarters.

"You got this, bro?" Emmett asked Jasper with a wide grin on his face.

"Yes."

"You sure?"

Jasper narrowed his eyes at Emmett.

"All right. I'm gonna go find my wife." Emmett disappeared down the staircase faster than I thought his massive form could move.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll stay down here," Jasper said, leaning against the wall.

"Dude, you don't have to stay," I offered.

"Yes, I do." He didn't say any more and I wasn't going to argue. I pulled myself up onto the ladder, leaving him on his own.

The moment I got into the room, Bella was on me. She wrapped her legs tightly around my body. Her lips met mine, her tongue forcing its way into my mouth. Every nerve ending in my body lit up. My fingers curled, gripping her hair and tugging her head back. We groped at each other feverishly until it wasn't enough anymore. In an attempt to walk towards the bed, I stumbled, dropping her to her feet. She turned and tried to head towards the bed, but I grabbed her arm, yanking her back towards me. Her back hit my chest and I wound one arm around her waist. The other I used to grip her chin.

"I missed you," I growled in her ear before using my teeth to bite lightly.

A surge of sexual energy radiated out of her and through me.

"I missed you, too," she purred, placing her hand over mine and guiding downwards. When I pressed against the spot between her legs, she let out a sound that set off every primal instinct I had.

I let go of her and shoved her forward onto the bed. She fell to her knees, whipping around quickly as I dropped the jacket to the floor, tore my shirt up over my head, and stepped out of my pants. I stalked forward after her. She didn't back away, though. She met me with force as I covered her, arching her back and grasping at my shoulders.

Piece by piece, I removed her clothing, until all that was before me was skin – perfection. It wasn't slow. It was hurried and frantic. I _needed _to be a part of her almost as much as I needed air to breathe.

There weren't words to express my desperation, so I didn't use any. She understood perfectly. She spread her legs and I jerked my hips forward, filling her. She threw her head back, a wicked grin on her face. I stopped moving long enough to look down at her.

"Make it good," she moaned.

I slid out and then back in again, feeling the soft warmth of her body. "I always do."

She let go of me and reached above her head, grabbing the bars. She smirked. "Then make it epic."

A challenge. One I was fully prepared to accept. I briefly worried having been hospitalized so long, I wouldn't be able to keep up, but it didn't last long. Bella's eyes dilated, turning almost completely black and a powerful lust enveloped the whole fucking room. I gripped the sheets to gain some sort of leverage and slammed into her so hard we both lost our breaths.

She writhed and mewled as I took her – as I reclaimed her.

"Tell me your mine," I demanded roughly.

"I'm yours," she gasped.

I stared into her eyes, searching for the truth of her words. "Tell me you'll never let another man touch you as long as you live." This time, my words were begging.

Bella's hand curled around my neck. She brought my mouth to hers.

"Never," she whispered against my lips. I smiled and kissed her before sitting back onto my knees.

"Good answer, doll."

I lifted one of her legs over my shoulder and then drove into her again. I wanted to be deep. Really fucking deep.

Bella cried out. I thrust one last time and I was done. My body trembled, my vision blurred, and my mind went numb as wave after wave of pure pleasure coursed over me.

Finally, my senses began to come back to me. I rolled off of Bella, collapsing onto my back. I put my arms behind my head and let out a breath. Bella didn't move. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her chest heaving – I could hear her breathing loudly. I twisted my neck and looked at her.

"Are you okay?"

She met my eyes. "Yes. I'm more than okay. That was. . . wow."

"Epic?"

Bella laughed.

"I guess they're all going to know I'm back now, huh?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't even try that time."

I slipped my hand out from behind my head and opened up my arm for her. She curled her naked body into my side, throwing her leg over mine. Her skin was heated and damp. I could still feel a gentle hum radiating from her, almost like a cat when it purrs.

"Whatever. It is what it is, doll." I answered. "I'll just have to deal."

~xoxoxoxo~

We drifted in and out of sleep for a while before my stomach started to growl and I had to pee. I got up, used the toilet, and splashed water over my face before returning to the main room.

"I planned for this," Bella said, pulling out a bowl of bread, some sort of nut butter and a few pieces of fruit. "It's not a lot."

"It's fine," I answered, sitting back down.

She set down a jug of water and poured it into two cups. We ate quietly. I could tell she wanted to say something, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, she stopped and put a piece of bread in instead. I wasn't going to push her – mostly because I wasn't sure I wanted to know what she was going to say. When we finished, we laid back down on the bed, her head against my chest.

"What happened out there, Edward?"

It was exactly the question I was afraid of. I shook my head.

"No."

"Why? Why won't you tell me?"

"Because when we start this conversation, we can't go back. This," I said, running my hand up and down her arm, "will end. And we will have to come to terms with things."

Bella lifted her head, frowning. "What things? What are you talking about?"

"I want to just be with you. For just one night, doll. Let's just. . ." I rolled over, pushing her onto her back. "Fuck! I just want. . ." I couldn't finish my sentence. I felt agitated and frustrated. I didn't know what I wanted. Too many thoughts. Too many emotions.

"Hey," she soothed, kissing my jaw lightly. "It's okay. We don't have to talk about it. Let's just. . . fuck." She laughed.

"That's not what I meant."

"You don't want to fuck?" She was teasing me, trying to bring me back. Her legs opened a little wider, allowing me to settle between them. My dick fell into place at her entrance, like it knew exactly where it was meant to be – inside her. "I think you do." Her voice was playful and young.

"I don't." I shook my head. Her smile faded, her lower lip pouting out. I bent my head, sucking it in between my own lips gently. "I want to make love to you, doll. I want to do it slowly. I want to show you what I feel for you."

"What do you feel for me?" she asked quietly. I should have known she wouldn't let me get away with not answering her. "Do you love me, Edward?"

I nodded slowly. "More than you could ever imagine. You're a part of me. Literally," I teased to diffuse the enormity of what I was admitting.

Her hand stroked the side of my face. "I love you, too," she sighed. She pushed on my chest and I rolled, taking her with me so that she was on top. "I'd give you every last drop of my blood if I could."

She lowered herself onto me and rocked her body forward.

"I'll never get enough of you," I groaned.

"That's a very good thing. Oh, God. I can feel you everywhere," she whimpered. How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" I grunted, not understanding.

"This," she said pressing her hands against my chest so that the electricity between us intensified. "That's not me, Edward. I'm not doing that."

I put my hands on her hips to encourage her to keep going. "I don't know, but keep not doing it. It feels fucking fantastic."

Bella closed her eyes and drew her lower lip in between her teeth. I looked down to where we were connected, watching myself slide in and out of her as she moved.

We did go slow, moving together as though we were made for each other. Maybe we were. Maybe something greater had brought us together – brought us to that moment.

When I emptied myself into her, there was no consuming burn, no explosion. She leaned in, kissing me, letting her breath become my breath.

Afterwards, we lay quietly for a while. Her thumb brushed back and forth over the spot where the bullet had hit me in the gut. It was completely healed, but it left a nasty looking, puckered scar. She tilted her head up at me and attempted to smile, but her eyes told me how she really felt.

"Don't look so sad. It's not the first time I've been shot. I doubt it'll be the last."

"I'm just remembering what it felt like to see you come through that door. I thought you were going to die."

"Well, according to Carlisle, I almost did. Guess it's a good thing I had something holding me here." The words were out of my mouth before I even realized I was thinking them. "Fuck! Listen to me," I snorted. "Such a pussy. What were you doing out there anyway?"

"Out where?" she asked, her fingers still trailing over my skin.

"By the entrance."

"Oh. Nothing."

"You just happened to be standing there when I showed up?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Bullshit. You don't go out there for no reason. What were you doing?"

She didn't respond.

"Bella!" I said, my voice obviously getting agitated.

She sighed and spoke up. "Zara said they left you. She said you were practically dead anyway. I couldn't. . . I needed to find you. I needed to know."

I wondered how much Zara had told her. I wondered how much Zara knew. Did she know it was James and his cronies who had attacked us? Was the entire team aware that Charlie intended to take me out on the raid? Were they in on it? I had so many fucking questions, but one thing stood out more than anything else in what Bella had just said.

"You were trying to leave the Hive?"

"Yes."

"Was anyone gonna go with you?"

When she shook her head, I saw red. I jumped up, tossing her off of me.

"Are you fucking stupid?"

She scrambled back against the wall, naked and pale, looking at me like I'd just punched her. I didn't mean for my words to come out so harsh, but I was pissed. That didn't stop the guilt when her eyes filled with tears, though.

"Would you have come after me if I were the one out there?" she whispered.

"You know I would," I said, lowering my voice. "But that's different."

"How is it different? Did you expect me to just move on?"

I didn't say anything. I just pressed my lips together firmly.

"Now who's the one being stupid?" she grumbled.

I scrubbed my hand over my face and kneeled back down onto the bed beside her. "It _is_ different, Bella. You gotta realize how dangerous that would have been. Do you even know what's out there? _Who's_ out there? I've spent my entire life in that wasteland and look what happened to me. That world would eat you alive."

"Then so be it," Bella insisted. "It's all pointless now anyway, isn't it? I didn't have to go out there and you're here with me. I don't want to fight. Not now."

I stared into her eyes for a second, feeling my anger slip away. I wasn't sure if it was her doing or if I just couldn't be bothered, but it didn't matter.

"Neither do I," I admitted. I let my gaze trail down her body and wrapped my fingers around her ankle, yanking her down the bed until she was underneath me again. "But if you ever even think about leaving here without me. . . I will chain you to this bed. Got it?"

She giggled and grinned. "Is that supposed to be a deterrent?"

"Shit," I groaned, smiling at her. "You're killing me, doll."

The rest of the night, we barely slept – indulging in each other's bodies over and over. It was nearly a repeat of our very first night together, but this time was different. It wasn't just mindless fucking for the sake of fucking. It was much, much more. Eventually, exhaustion won out and we collapsed in a sweaty heap of tangled limbs.

Yeah, Charlie would definitely know that I was back. There was no doubt. I closed my eyes and held Bella to me. Another judgement was coming. But this time, it wasn't mine.

~xoxoxoxo~


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Thank you again for your patience. I know it's taking a lot of time between chapters, but I do promise, I am writing whenever I get a chance, even if it's just a couple of words. **

**Thank you to 6dlb5 for pre-reading and keeping me from making ridiculous grammatical mistakes. Thank you to Melee03 for steering me in the right direction and helping me work through my block.**

****There is a violence warning on this chapter. The nature of this story has always been a little intense, so if you've gotten this far, it should be a given, but I don't want anyone taken by surprise.**

**~xoxoxoxo~**

Chapter 12:

When I woke, I had no idea what time it was. Bella was still sleeping next to me, her bare back rising and falling with each breath. Her hair was sprawled out across the pillow. I had the urge to run my hands through it, but I didn't indulge.

Instead, I slipped from the bed covers and pulled on a pair of cargos, a t-shirt, and the hoodie Emmett had given me. None of it was clean, but it didn't matter. The job I had to do wasn't exactly going to require me to be neat. I wrapped my belt holster around my waist and lifted my Beretta from the table next to the bed.

Outside of Bella's quarters I found Jasper. He was wide awake, as if he hadn't been up all night. He glanced over to me and nodded.

"You get a break at all?" I asked, twisting my head from side to side until I heard it crack.

"Nope. Don't need one."

"You sure? I need you an Emmett today."

Jasper narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Yeah. What's up?"

"You'll keep it to yourself?"

"Depends."

I let out a frustrated breath. Couldn't he just agree? "Payback."

I spent the next few minutes giving Jasper the lowdown on what had happened on the raid.

"So you want all of them?"

"Yeah."

"Including Charlie?"

"Especially Charlie."

Jasper whistled. "You're playing with fire, man. I'll help you with James and the other fuckers, but Charlie. . ." He shook his head. "I got a kid on the way. I back you up – Alice backs me. She can take care of herself, but . . . this could start a war."

"I get it." I sniffed and nodded. "First things first."

"First things later," Jasper said quietly, looking behind me. I turned to see my doll in all her goth glory. She wore her heavy black boots, netted stockings under a short leather skirt and a tight, blue tank top. Her hair was pulled back into two bunches at the back of her head. Her eyes were painted with thick black and grey, and her lips – plump and luscious, were stained blood red.

Fuuuuuck.

Bella smiled. "I can feel you. I think I'm rubbing off on you,"she purred, getting closer.

"Are you offering?"

She giggled and lifted herself up on her toes. "Anytime. Anyplace," she whispered against my lips. I slid my hand over her hip, resting it on her ass.

Jasper cleared his throat, reminding me that I had an agenda. I was going to have to make it quick, too. Word spread like wildfire and it wouldn't be long before James realized I was back and I'd lose the benefit of surprise. If he didn't already know, that is.

I threw my arm around Bella's shoulders and we started for the stairs. Halfway down, we ran into Emmett and Rose.

"Whatup?" Emmett smirked. "You look. . . tired."

Rose struck up conversation with Bella and I let them go ahead of me.

"You up for a beat-down?" I said under my breath.

Emmett grinned. "Who?"

Bella turned her head back towards me slightly, a curious look on her face. I winked at her. I probably could have told her, but I wasn't sure she'd be okay with the plan and letting James get away with what he did to me was _not_ an option.

When she returned her attention to Rose, I dropped back a few steps to make sure she couldn't hear me.

"The asshole who left me for dead."

"He one of ours?" Emmett asked. I nodded. "Who?"

"James."

Emmett looked surprised. "Really? Dude, I wouldn't have thought he'd have the balls to try something like that."

"His balls belong to Charlie."

Emmett's eyes widened. "No way!"

We hit the main level and I threw my hood up over my head. Good thing, too. The dining hall was packed with people.

"I'm gonna hang back," I told Bella.

"Do you want me to get you something?"

"Yeah, baby. Thanks."

Emmett stayed with me while Jasper moved forward with the girls. We stood against the wall, watching. I kept my head lowered, but my eyes peeled.

As I scanned the room, I felt Emmett's hand clamp down on my shoulder at the same time I spotted him. James. Approaching my doll with a swagger that told me he had no clue I hadn't bled out in that old farmhouse. His eyes scanned her and his tongue shot out of his mouth in a disgusting display of sexual attraction. I wanted to rip it out of his fucking mouth.

After a minute of inappropriately long discussion, James smiled and reached his hand up to push back a strand of short hair that had fallen in Bella's face.

"What the fuck? Is that you?" Emmett asked.

"What?" I shifted my eyes to look at him. His mouth was slightly open. He shook his head.

"Nothing. Nevermind. I'm in."

I didn't take my eyes off Bella until James was ten yards away and increasing the distance. Fucker walked right past me, nodded at Emmett, and out the door. I palmed my gun.

"Relax, brother," Emmett murmured. "You'll get your chance. This isn't it."

He was right. A room full of people, including Bella, eating breakfast wasn't the time. I'd probably have a dozen people on me before I could land the first punch.

We took our seats in a corner; something out of the way to avoid interaction. Bella, Rose, and Jasper returned with food minutes later.

"What did he say to you?" I asked sharply.

Bella tilted her head towards me, not needing any further explanation. "He asked me who I was with last night?"

"Did you tell him?"

"No. I told him it was none of his business."

She looked down at her breakfast and pushed it around on her plate. She was keeping something back.

"The way he was looking at you. . ." I let out a low growl. "What else?"

She flicked her tongue out at her viper bites. I reached out and put my fingers on her chin, slowly turning her head back towards me.

"He wants me again." Before I could explode, she placed her hand on my arm. "I told him to fuck off. He's a dick, but he's harmless, Edward."

I chuckled, but I wasn't amused. Looking across the table, Emmett and Jasper appeared to be focusing intently on their meals, but the solemn expressions on their faces gave them away. I shut my mouth and ate my breakfast. I was going to have to find a way to get it done. And soon.

~xoxoxoxo~

It didn't take me as long as I thought it would to hunt down my prey. Within an hour after we'd finished our meal, Rose stole Bella away under the premise of talking about girl things. Jasper, Emmett and I all checked our pieces. Emmett's and mine were fine. Jasper's was jammed.

"Fuck!" he swore.

"Don't worry about it. Just back me up with your ninja skills if I need 'em. Don't let anyone get in the way."

"Will do," Jasper agreed, shoving his gun back into his holster.

We took off towards where we'd heard James was likely working. His job entailed cleaning moss and mold from the walls of the Hive, so he traveled around, but after asking a couple of people, we easily found him.

Standing on a ladder, a blunt hanging from his lips, James laughed at something his buddy Emery said from below him. As I stared at him, I saw him shiver and tense.

Slowly, he turned his head. I think it took him a minute to realize what he was seeing. The blunt fell from his mouth. I could feel my body lighting up, heat shooting down from my head, down my arms, legs, and finally hitting my toes. I smirked at his gaping mouth and crouched down in preparation.

A split second later, he was on the move, jumping from the ladder and shoving Emery out of the way in an attempt to escape. Emery hit the floor with a dull thud. His angry expression turned to fear as he saw us approaching. He scrambled to his feet and ran.

"Emmett."

"Got him."

Emmett took off after Emery. It wouldn't take him long to catch up. I wanted Jasper with me, though. People shouted as James booked it through narrow passageways with us hot on his tail. All it took was one big dude to get in his way and I was on top of him, forcing him face-first into the hard, rock wall. I flipped him around to face me. There was a large cut above his left eye.

"Hello, motherfucker." I snarled, repeating the words he'd said to me the day he was supposed to take me out. "Remember me?"

I slammed my forehead into his face, relishing the crunching sound of the bones in his nose as they shattered.

"Fuck!" he shouted, struggling against my grip. Blood poured from his nostrils and dripped down over his chin. "How?"

"You didn't think you'd actually win, did you?" I laughed.

"I. . . but you were. . ."

"I was still alive. That was your first big mistake. And you put your hands on my girl."

"I didn't."

"I saw you."

"When?"

"This morning, at breakfast." I took a shot at his face again, busting open his mouth. "And to answer your question, she was with _me_ last night. She's been with me since the second I returned. And she'll be with me till my last breath."

The image of him licking his lips as he eyed Bella with lust played in my head. Pure, unadulterated hate took over and I had to clench my jaw tightly to keep myself from just capping him in the head and ending it. James began to shake, his eyes flashing confusion and then fear. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It was as if he couldn't breathe. I had to double check to make sure my hands weren't around his throat. They weren't.

"Who. . . what the fuck _are_ you?" he rasped. I didn't answer with words. I sucker-punched him in the gut. As he folded, I nailed him in the face again. His legs buckled, taking him to the ground. I could have stopped – if I'd wanted to.

A crowd of people had gathered around us, but no one interfered. Whether they were afraid to get close to me because of the violence I was inflicting or whether they thought he deserved what he was getting – it didn't matter. I followed him down, allowing my fury to pour out of me through my fists. Eventually, James grew still. I leaned back. The air around me was thick; the only sounds were my heaving breaths and James' gurgling.

"Just kill me," he begged, spitting blood and fragments of teeth from his mouth.

"I want to," I sneered. "I really do. But then I'd be taking things beyond retribution." There was a murmur of what sounded like agreement around me. I didn't look up to see how many onlookers were there. I didn't care anymore.

"I tried to murder you. You deserve to kill me."

"You tried. And failed. Trust me, I wouldn't fail."

"Please." His voice was weak and his beaten face was beginning to swell.

"Why are you so desperate to die?" I asked, pulling my Beretta from its holster and scratching the barrel against my temple.

"It's better than what he'll do to me when he finds out I didn't finish you."

I looked up at Jasper, who met me with an unaffected stare. We both knew James was right. Charlie's consequences were going to be far more brutal than anything I would do. But I'd done what I came to do.

"Yeah," I said, sucking my teeth and looking back at the fucking prick. "Not my problem."

I clipped him across the skull with the butt of my piece, knocking him unconscious. Blood splattered up, covering my face. Fucking head wounds.

"I'm going to go see how Emmett's doin'" Jasper said.

"I'll go with you."

"No way, man. You need to go clean yourself up."

I stood up and wiped the back of my hand across my cheek.

"Shit."

"Yeah," he laughed.

"Here. Take this." I handed him my Beretta.

"You may need it."

"Nah, I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

I nodded. He took it and shoved it in the waistband of his pants.

"I'll come find you."

~xoxoxoxo~

Her eyes were on me. I could feel them. Like heat seeking missiles, they were locked on and wouldn't disengage until I took evasive action.

"What?" I groaned.

"Look at me," her voice was soft, but there was no missing the directive tone in it. I shifted my gaze upwards. "What did you do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't believe you."

I shrugged, taking a large bite of an apple so I didn't have to answer her. Unfortunately, that was when Jasper happened to open the door to the den, striding over without a care in the world.

"Here," he said, handing me my gun. "It's done."

I took the piece and shoved it into its holster without looking at Bella.

"The others?" I mumbled.

"They got the message."

"Good."

"Let me know when you. . ." When he stopped, I tilted my head to see him glance over at Bella. Shifting my eyes, I could see why he was hesitating. The expression on her face could melt steel. She knew she was being left out of something important – and she was furious.

"I will," I answered his unfinished sentence. He nodded and walked out of the den without another word.

I took another bite.

"Edward?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Fuck you! Don't tell me not to worry about. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

She licked her thumb and reached over, swiping it over my ear. When she pulled it away, the tip was red. Blood red. I'd missed a bit. "Whose is it?"

I shrugged again, but I knew I was treading on dangerous ground. I could feel her anger growing exponentially as I continued to block her.

"Whose. Is. It? James? Did you kill him?"

"No."

"No? Then why is there blood in your hair?" She grabbed one of my hands. I fought the wince as she touched my bruised knuckles. She raised her eyebrows. "And these?"

I stayed quiet.

"Oh, my God! You cannot go around killing anyone who looks at me. You forget who I am to them, Edward. We have been living this way for a long time. Long before you _ever _arrived. You cannot expect them to stop just because I've chosen to be with you."

"Yeah, I _can_ expect them to stop. But I didn't kill him," I insisted. Bella huffed and turned on her heel.

"Fine. You don't want to tell me what happened? I'll go find out for myself."

Before she could go anywhere, I gripped her bicep and pulled her back. Wrapping my hand around her throat, I looked deep into her eyes and pressed my lips against hers roughly. She couldn't struggle – she couldn't move at all. I felt her body begin to relax as my tongue delved deeper into her mouth. Her eyes grew heavy. I had her right where I wanted.

Or so I thought.

I hadn't felt her hand move downwards, but suddenly, my balls were in a vice grip. I let go of her and tried to pull away, but she only gripped tighter. She leaned in.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her lips against the shell of my ear. "But I'm done being manipulated and lied to."

"Fuck, doll," I wheezed. "I'm not lyin'."

"Then you better tell me what the hell is going on."

"He's the one who shot me, okay? Let go!"

She released me and I sank to the floor, cupping myself. "Jesus Christ! That fucking hurt."

Bella opened her mouth in confusion. "James? How?"

I groaned. "This is a conversation left for another time."

"This is a conversation for right now," she demanded.

I grimaced, squeezing my eyes together tightly, and lifted myself off the floor and onto the couch.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you, doll. He wanted you. Apparently enough to come out and fuck me up and leave me to die."

She shook her head, sitting down beside me. "That doesn't make sense. There has to be some other reason."

"Yeah," I agreed, staring down at my hands, which were dangling between my knees.

I was trying not to lie to her. She would find out that it was her father who gave the command - it was only a matter of time. I didn't want to be on the wrong side of her temper, but I didn't want to be the one to tell her either. I was going to let Charlie hang himself.

"Are you sure it was him?"

I twisted my neck to look at her. Was she fucking kidding?

"I was just asking." She sighed.

"He deserved what I gave him and more."

"I don't doubt it. I shouldn't be surprised."

"What the fuck did you ever see in that douche?" I grumbled.

"I was young," she offered, shrugging.

"You're still young."

"I was stupid, then." Her eyes were dancing with mischief. She was daring me to agree.

"Good thing you got all smart and dumped his sorry ass then, huh?"

Bella laughed. "Good answer, cowboy."

I smiled and pulled her into my lap. I let my hand rest on her leg, just above her knee.

She shifted and her already short skirt drifted even higher. My dick hardened.

"I'm sorry about your balls," she whispered, kissing my neck.

I just grunted in response. It wasn't okay, so I didn't tell her it was.

She slid of the couch and down on her knees between my legs. "Can I make it up to you?" Her tongue peeked out and then disappeared back into her mouth. Her hands rubbed up and down my thighs.

She didn't wait for an answer. Her fingers went to my fly, a smirk appearing when she realized I was already up and rearing to go despite my . . . injury.

"Don't apologize to _me._"

"Does he need a kiss?' she purred.

A pounding on the door drowned out my resounding 'yes'.

"Go away!" I yelled. Another pounding. "Fuck. _What_?"

Bella leaned back on her heels, blowing air out her nose. Rose opened the door, a frown marring her perfect face."

"What is it, Rose?" Bella asked.

"It's Charlie. He wants to see you." She looked from Bella to me. "Both of you."

~xoxoxoxo~

I wasn't surprised that the entirety of the Hive now knew I'd returned after what had happened with James. I was glad that they didn't know the condition that I had returned in or that I'd required weeks of medical care before I could even walk, much less fight.

As Bella and I were escorted to Charlie's chambers, a crowd had gathered. I didn't know most of the faces. Some of them I recognized, but I didn't know names or stories. I didn't know if they were loyal to Charlie or if they would follow Bella should she. . . _when_ she rebelled. I couldn't afford to think about the fact that she might not follow me when I took on her father.

One face stuck out, however. Zara. I met her dark brown eyes as we passed by. She looked away, regret evident. I didn't blame her. She was a fighter – a survivor. Her job was to provide for her child and her mate. I would have done the same thing if I were her.

A sense of deja vu washed over me as the heavy door closed behind me and I spotted Charlie flanked by Alice, the blond guard, and two others with heavy armory. He greeted Bella, practically purring her name. She approached him, kissing his cheek. This time, though, instead of staying by his side, she returned to mine. Charlie noticed. His nostrils flared as he spoke.

"Mr. Mason," he said loudly.

"Charlie."

"I'm _thrilled_ to see you found your way back to us."

"I'm sure you are," I responded sarcastically.

His eyebrows raised. "You doubt me?"

"Of course not." I knew my resentment was showing. I didn't try to hide it.

"Good. Because I _always_ mean what I say." The threat in his voice was unmistakable. This meeting wasn't going to end well.

"Did you need us for something?" Bella interrupted. Charlie's eyes stayed on me for a second before drifting over to his daughter.

"I'd merely heard a rumor that Mr. Mason had returned and wanted to see for myself. What kept you away so long?" His eyes returned to mine.

I shrugged and shook my head, a smirk fighting its way through my unaffected facade. The bastard was wanting to play games. I could play games, too.

"Got lost."

"I see." He sighed heavily and let out a whistle.

A door at the side opened, and two guards brought – dragged rather, the body of a man in. His face was ravaged and swollen beyond recognition, his shirtless body black and blue from being beaten. Both dried and fresh blood ran in streaks from his eyes, mouth, and down his torso. His pants were filthy, stained with dirt, blood, and other fluids. His eyes were open, but lifeless. He blinked slowly as if even that simple reflex was too taxing.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Bella. Her expression hadn't changed, but I could sense her surprise.

"Did you do this?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not sure," I answered, my eyes scanning over the damage. "Possibly."

"Possibly? Either you did or you didn't, Mr. Mason."

"I wasn't aware I'd opened any wounds below the neck," I said flatly. "But I'll take responsibility for the face."

"Huh." He nodded as if appreciating my honesty. "May I ask why?"

"He came after me. I deserved my retribution."

"He came after you?" Charlie feigned confusion. "In what way? I haven't heard of any attack other than the one you perpetrated on him. And since you _just _returned to us, I don't understand when this instigating assault would have taken place."

I glanced around at all the people in the room. The false pleasantries weren't fooling anyone. They were all on edge, prepared for whatever might happen. No need to sugar coat anything given that Charlie already knew what had happened.

"While on the raid, James and his. . . _friends _shot me, beat me, and left me to die."

Charlie laughed. "That's not possible. James was not on that raid."

"No, he wasn't," I agreed. "Nevertheless, that's what happened."

"Where is your proof?"

"I am my own proof."

Charlie tilted his head. "Funny. You don't look injured. In fact, you look quite well. How is it that you claim such a _brutal _attack was made and yet – here you stand?"

I had to be careful. I had no doubt that if I revealed exactly how I'd been rehabilitated, Carlisle would be in danger.

"There are still good people out there," I stated.

"I see." Charlie stood up and put his hands behind his back. "Well, you'll understand if I'm hesitant to believe your story. I have you standing in front of me, healthy and capable. And I have my daughter's previous lover here, nearly unrecognizable, his tongue cut out so that he's unable to speak in order to defend himself, and no one to verify your claim."

His tongue cut out?

Bella's head turned towards me. Her expression questioning. I shook my head at her. "I didn't. . ."

"I've seen your temper. I've seen your jealously," Charlie continued. "I know what kind of man you are. I should have followed my instincts the first time you were brought to me." He started pacing. Something was about to go down. He was agitated. "I warned you, Mr. Mason."

I felt Bella's hand touch mine. She could feel it, too. Charlie was losing it. Fast.

"I warned you that I would be watching you."

All my senses were suddenly on high alert. My free hand slid to my holster.

"I warned you that this was _my_ home. These are _my_ people."

I gritted my teeth together as he turned to face me, his eyes black and narrowed.

"I've given you enough warnings, boy," Charlie hissed. "You want to know what happens to people who mess with me?" It happened in a split second. I couldn't have gotten my weapon out fast enough. His arm lifted straight up and without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

**~xoxoxoxo~**

**AN: Because what's the fun in me telling you who he was aiming at? LOL. **

**I took a little longer to post this chapter b/c I didn't want to leave you all in a lurch waiting for 6 weeks when I left it where I did. I've been working on the next chapter and hopefully it will be up sooner rather than later. **

**With that said, we're almost done. I'm not sure if my wrap-up will take one chapter or two, it all depends on how it all flows. :oD Thank you for reading and for reviewing!**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I realize that I promised that it wouldn't take 6 weeks and then it did. Everything that could have gone wrong with this chapter did and I underestimated exactly how busy my kids would be this summer. And we didn't even do summer camps this year. LOL. The social lives of the littlest littlecats is out of control! **

**In any case, I also wanted to make sure I didn't rush anything. I wasn't sure if I was going to finish this up in one chap or two, but it does turn out that this is the final chap. I figured it was better to make it a longer chapter than to divide it into two short ones. It's right where I was hoping it would be. :oD **

** I'll do my thank yous at the end. **

**~xoxoxoxo~**

Chapter 13:

James' body slumped to the ground, the bullet having pierced through his skull. Blood splattered the faces of the guards holding him up, but neither of them so much as flinched.

I pulled my gun.

"Ah ah ah, Mr. Masen," he scolded. "I suggest you put that away. I don't really want to have to traumatize my daughter by decorating her with your blood."

Reluctantly, I re-holstered the only weapon I had. Bella took a step forward, but I gripped her hand to keep her from getting too close. I didn't trust Charlie not to use her against me.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She was attempting to appear unaffected, but the shake in her voice gave away her uncertainty.

"Your toy seems to think he can do whatever he wants," Charlie spit. I glared at him. "I'm showing him what happens when drones forget their place."

"He's not my toy!" Bella defended angrily.

" And I'm not one of your drones," I growled.

"You're not?" he laughed. "Do you know what the purpose of a drone is, Mr. Masen? They mate with the queen. . . and then they die."

"Fuck you!"

"Enough," Bella groaned. "Is there a reason for all of this?"

"I always have a reason for what I do, Isabella," he answered her flatly.

"Then get to the fucking point," I snarled.

Charlie sat down and pulled the blond guard down into his lap. He pushed her hair to the side and pressed his lips against her shoulder.

"Let me tell you a little story, Mr. Masen."

"Really? Is this gonna take long? Should I take a seat?"

Charlie wasn't amused with my sarcasm. He frowned and took a deep breath.

"This is the story of two brothers and their little sister, orphaned when their parents were killed in a car accident. You see, the world was a different place then, but there was still evil – and it tried to tear them apart. They were sent to live with an old woman who beat them daily and worked them to the bone. The only reason they survived was because they had each other."

I shifted on my feet and looked around at the others who were steadily listening to Charlie. Their expressions told me that none of them had any idea where this was going.

"Eventually, Nathan, the eldest brother, became old enough to care for his siblings and he took them away, making a life for them. He went to school, got married, had a child. His brother did likewise. Their sister, quite a bit younger, was shy and quiet. She lived with Nathan and his wife Miranda, taking care of their son. A son whose own mother had very little time for him."

I glanced over at Bella to see if she knew why the fuck he was torturing us with this shit. Her head was tilted, her lips pursed, her gaze trained on her father, confusion evident.

"As time passed, Nathan and Miranda lost faith in the outside world," he continued. "They decided to protect themselves and their families by building a community of their own. The second brother Alec and his wife Katherine agreed that they didn't want to raise their daughter Esme in such a selfish and chaotic world. So it was set. They went about developing their plans. They had assumed that their little sister, Elizabeth would go with them. She was young and unmarried. The brothers had always taken care of her – loved her."

Charlie stopped, his eyes searching me, waiting for. . . something. After a second, he grit his teeth together.

"But they were wrong. The night before they were to set out to their new location, Elizabeth was stolen. Taken from their home by her lover and never seen again. Her brothers mourned the loss of their sister. Esme and I mourned the loss of our aunt. I mourned the loss of the only woman who ever truly treated me as though she loved me."

Charlie patted the leg of the blond guard and she stood up, moving out of the way before he rose. I watched him whisper in her ear. She nodded and her eyes flickered towards me, a smug smile appearing on her lips. Charlie began to pace.

"Do you know what her lover's name was, Mr. Masen?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I don't really give a shit, Charlie. It was a nice story, though. Thanks."

"We never saw Elizabeth again," he continued as though I hadn't spoken. "But we'd heard that she married her lover. That they'd had children. Three of them. Two boys and a girl. And then, about nine years ago, my father got news that his baby sister's family had been attacked. She'd been assaulted while her useless fucking husband and sons did nothing."

I felt the blood drain from my face as recognition finally hit me like a fucking freight train. That was what he'd been waiting for.

"The lover's name. Do you know it now?"

"Charlie?" Bella called. "What. . .?"

"You're lying!" I snapped.

"Unfortunately, no, I'm not. My father was so devastated by the news that he had a heart attack and died. My mother followed shortly after. All because _your_ fucking father decided to take what wasn't his."

I stared at the man in front of me, trying to process what he was saying. I still didn't believe it. I wracked my memories for anything that my mother had said about her family. We never knew them. She said her parents had died when she was little. She said she'd been raised by an old woman who didn't love them. . . . Them. She'd said them. She never clarified who "Them" was – but now I knew.

Charlie smirked. "Yes, cousin. It's a small world, isn't it? I should have killed you the moment I found out who you were. I should have known you would be just like him."

I took a few painful breaths trying to keep my composure.

"Why didn't you?" I finally choked out.

"She may not be my biological child, but she is my daughter," he said glancing at Bella. "And you entertained her. I thought you would be discarded when she tired of you and then I would deal with you. I did not expect you to last this long. I. . . did not expect her to fall in love with you."

I looked at Bella and saw her lower her eyes to the ground. I squeezed her hand and turned my attention back to Charlie.

"So you sent that douchbag to kill me?" I nodded my head towards James' body. Charlie frowned and sighed heavily.

"I'd hoped he'd be able to resist the urge to share that bit of information. Perhaps I should have removed his tongue _before _I sent him." He sniffed and glanced at where James lay dead. "Guess it doesn't matter now."

"Wait!" Bella called lifting her head. "You sent James to kill Edward?"

"I sent James to eliminate a problem."

"A problem?" I scoffed.

"Yes, a problem. You've already taken enough from me, cousin. You will _not_ take her."

"Stop!" Bella snapped. "I'm not a possession and I'm not yours to keep locked up."

Charlie stopped pacing. "You _are_ mine!" he growled. "And I will do anything I have to to remind you of that."

"Enough!" I shouted. "No more chickenshit games, Charlie."

His eyes narrowed in on me and he locked his jaw. "No, cousin. You're right. No more games."

From behind me, I heard a flurry of movement and and all too familiar click. I turned to see Jasper with his weapon pointed at Charlie. Alice, too had hers trained on him, the barrel of her gun just inches from the back of his head.

"I knew the day would come when loyalties would be revealed," Charlie said casually. "Luckily, I'd prepared for it. Charlie clicked his tongue. The blond guard's gun discharged with enough force to blow Alice backwards and to the ground. A split second later, Charlie shot in my direction. I ducked. He wasn't aiming at me, though. Jasper went down, hitting the floor hard. My jaw dropped. Bella gasped, but I was still holding onto her.

"Shit!" Rose cried, darting towards where Alice had fallen, ignoring the fact that there were still guns cocked and ready.

I pulled my Beretta and swung it upwards. That motherfucker was going down. But Bella's hand swung out forcing my shot to miss Charlie by a mile and knocking the gun out of my hands. It wasn't entirely useless, though. His little blond pet crumpled.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I yelled, glaring at Bella. She looked over at me, her eyes sad.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Charlie laughed and jerked his head to the side, making it crack. "I told you she was mine. She always has been and always will be." He lifted his gun one more time. I was fucked. I had no way of defending myself and Bella had just shown where her allegiance was.

I swallowed dryly and looked around. Rose was tending to Alice. Emmett was trying desperately to stop Jasper's bleeding. The blond guard was writhing around on the ground. Three other guards were aiming their weapons directly at my head. James was still dead.

I took a deep breath and raised my hands, clasping them behind my head.

"What are you waiting for?"

Charlie didn't answer me. He was staring at Bella. I glanced over. Her eyes were nearly black, her body was trembling. Her hands were clenched. I'd seen her like this before – the last time she was pissed at Charlie. But this was a whole new level.

"Bella?"

The air in the room suddenly seemed too thin and the temperature dropped. The guards who were still standing winced. Dropping their weapons, they covered their heads with their hands.

Charlie opened his mouth, trying to take in a breath. His eyes rolled back into his head. Blood started to trickle from his ears.

I watched in awe as my doll took him down to his knees without lifting a single finger.

"Stop," he begged, the sound barely escaping his lips as he curled into himself. "Please."

Bella took a few steps forward. I flanked her, still slightly worried that Charlie would find a way to hurt her. But my fears were unwarranted. She had it completely under control. When she bent down over him, I grabbed his abandoned weapon and locked the safety before shoving it into the waistband of my pants.

"I don't belong to you, Charlie" she whispered. "You're wrong. I _never_ have. You made the mistake of underestimating just how much power I wield. These are _my_ people. Not yours. They follow _me_. Not you. Did you really think I didn't know I could take it all from you at any time. You only remained in control because I let you. And now I'm done."

I cocked my own Beretta waiting for the word as Charlie's eyes widened. Bella shook her head and put her hand on my forearm.

"I'm not going to kill him."

"Why the fuck not?" I snapped.

"Because then I'd be just like him."

"You are _exactly_ like me," he rasped, coughing. Tough guy didn't look so tough cowering on the ground.

"You're nothing like him," I sneered. "Just kill him. Or let me do it."

"Bella, we need Carlisle," Rose called. I held up my hand to indicate she was going to have to wait. "No, now!" she shouted. We both turned our heads to see Rose cradling Alice in her arms. Her face was pale, almost bluish in color. Her breaths were labored. Her hand was on her belly. I looked back and Jasper, who wasn't moving. Emmett had taken off his shirt to stop the blood, but I wasn't sure how much it was actually helping.

"Shit! I'll go." I looked down at Charlie. "You'll be okay with him?"

"I'll be fine," she said quietly. She held out her hand. "But just in case." I smiled and leaned in, pressing my lips against hers as I slid the gun into her hand.

"I fell in love with you, too, by the way," I murmured pulling away and darting from the room.

~xoxoxoxo~

A few hours later, Bella and I walked into the medical suite to find Alice sitting up on a gurney with Esme by her side, holding her hand.

As we approached, Esme turned and smiled.

"How's the baby?" Bella asked cautiously.

Alice smiled. "Dad says that everything looks okay. I have to be on bed rest for a few days, but nothing vital was hit, so I should be back on my feet in no time."

"And Jasper?"

Alice's smile faded. "We don't know."

Bella's eyes glazed over and a few tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"I nearly got you killed. And the baby. I might have gotten Jasper. . ."

"Shush," Alice said, putting her hand over Bella's mouth. "It was only a matter of time. It's not your job to protect us. It's our job to protect you."

Bella frowned. "Not anymore."

I made eye contact with Esme and tilted my head. Kissing Bella's temple, I turned and walked away. Esme followed. On the other side of the room, we stopped.

"Did you know?" I asked, turning around to face her. "Who I was?"

She nodded. "Yes. The minute I saw you in the foyer, I knew who you were."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't think it mattered."

"You didn't think it mattered that I'm the son of Elizabeth Swan?"

Esme looked down, licking her lips before meeting my eyes again. "She wasn't Elizabeth Swan, Edward. She was Elizabeth Masen. Charlie didn't fall far from the tree. My father and uncle believed that their women belonged to them. They believed that Elizabeth was theirs. She loved your father. He took her away from a life where she would have been protected, yes, but she would have been completely miserable here. I put my faith in God, Edward. There is a reason you of all people showed up here. And when I saw the way she looked at you, I knew what it was."

"And what is that?"

"To free her," she said simply.

I glanced over to see my doll laughing with her best friend.

"You don't think this is at all a little. . ." I paused.

"You're not actually related, Edward," Esme laughed, reading my mind. "I think it's beautiful." She put her hand on my arm. "I can feel the love you have for her."

"Yeah."

"No," she said, furrowing her brow. "I can actually _feel_ it. Is that you?"

I shrugged. "I guess? I don't know."

"How long has that been going on?"

"Since the transfusion I think. I'm not sure exactly what it is."

Esme hummed. "Can Carlisle take a sample of your blood?"

"Um, yeah, sure. Whatever."

~xoxoxoxo~

"What are we going to do with him?"

"I don't know. He can't stay. I don't want him here."

"Really?"

"As long as he's here, I will always feel the need to guard myself. I don't want to live like that anymore, Edward."

I stroked a finger down my doll's naked back, watching her skin erupt in goosebumps.

"I can take him away."

"I'm still not going to let you kill him," she said turning to face me. I smirked. She knew me to well.

"I mean I know a place I can take him."

"Where?" she asked, turning onto her side to face me in bed.

"There's a prison about two thousand miles east."

"Two thousand miles?" Bella gasped.

"In one of the bigger cities. Chicago. I have a friend who runs it. He'll take Charlie. And the others."

After the showdown, word traveled quickly through the Hive that Charlie had been usurped. That he no longer held the power. For a few days, fighting erupted. People were killed – others injured, but in the end, those who still held allegiance to Bella's father, ended up right next to him in the cold, dark caverns he used as jail cells.

"What will he do with them?"

"It's a rebel camp. They're trying to rebuild. They need hard laborers."

Bella sniffed and flicked her tongue out at her viper bites.

"You still care about him?"

"I can't help it. He raised me, Edward. He loved me."

"He tried to control you."

"Yes, he did. But don't all parents attempt to control their children in some way? Did your parents not have rules?"

"It's different, Bella. My parents never would have put their happiness above my own. Everything they ever did was to try and better my life, not theirs."

"But your family abandoned you."

"Because of what I did. Because of who I'd become. They couldn't sit there and watch me destroy all the goodness that was left," I snap.

She's quiet for a minute while I regain my composure.

"I think there's still a lot of goodness in you," she finally whispered, scooting closer.

"You want some of my goodness in you?" I teased, lightening the mood.

She laughed.

"I'm completely serious, doll."

"I know you are." She rolled over onto her back, the dark pink tips of her breasts already hardened, beckoning my mouth to play with them. I obliged, wrapping my tongue around the little bud and flicking at it.

Bella arched her back and pushed the covers down to her hips. Moving so that my body covered hers, I gave equal attention to her other nipple before trailing kisses over her ribcage, down her abdomen, and along her hip bone before ending up between her thighs. I nudged her knees trying to get her to open wider for me as I dove in, plunging my tongue into her and lapping up her sweetness.

She moaned and writhed, gripping my hair between her fingers and urging me to lick her harder and faster. I did my best to drive her mad before sucking her clit in between my lips and causing her to vibrate as she came undone.

Without letting her relax, I flipped her over and pulled her hips up. "Ready for some of that goodness?"

I entered her roughly, watching as my dick retreated covered in her wetness and then plowed right back in. Bella lifted herself up onto her hands, pushing back into me, giving it to me just as hard as I was giving it to her. Our heavy breathing, the sound of slippery, wet skin, her little mewls mixed with my deep grunts. It was too much. I felt an all over hum coming from inside of me. It was similar to before, but much closer, much more electric. Was that what she felt?

"I'm gonna fucking come," I moaned.

Bella lifted one hand, steadying herself against the bars, and then slipped her other hand down between her legs. The result of us coming together was like an electric shock right to the cock – in a good way. I pulsed inside of her for what felt like an eternity, all the while continuing to advance and retreat from her warmth, until my strength finally gave out and I collapsed.

"Whatever that is, I like it," Bella sighed.

"Me fucking, too," I laughed, pulling her into my arms.

We stayed there together, sweaty and exhausted until sleep claimed both of us. In the morning we were woken by Emmett whooping loudly outside of Bella's quarters before barging in.

"Motherfucker's awake!" He grinned widely. Bella shot up out of bed and I nearly snarled when Emmett didn't look away from her naked body.

She dressed without a word, leaving me to catch up. I was still shirtless and barefoot as I followed her down the staircase and to the medical suite. Alice's gurney had been push up next to Jasper's and Esme and Rose were standing with them as Carlisle checked him over.

He looked rough, but he was smiling and holding onto Alice's hand.

"There's been a little bit too much of this going on around here," Carlisle said, frowning.

"Well, we've taken care of the cause," I assured.

"What's going to happen to Charlie?" Alice asked.

"I'm going to take him to a prison camp out east."

"We," Bella interrupted. "I'm going with you."

"Doll," I groaned.

"Don't 'doll' me, Edward. The last time you left me, you almost didn't come back. I'm going with you. That's not a request."

"I'm going, too," Jasper said. Alice scowled.

"No, dude," I answered, shaking my head. "You gotta take care of what's yours right now. I don't know how long we're going to be gone and you need to be here."

"Well, I'm going," Emmett announced. I nodded and when I looked over at Rose I realized there was no way we were getting out of having her go, too.

"Shit. I guess we'll get a team together," I acquiesced. "Make it a raiding trip."

Bella smirked in satisfaction. I supposed, considering she could take down pretty much anyone if she really wanted to, having her at my side out there wouldn't be such a bad thing.

~xoxoxoxo~

It took us two weeks to prepare for the trip. I used my knowledge of the cities and larger towns along our route to prep the raiding team. Commodities were different depending on the location. Some were richer in cattle, some grain. We would travel through coal rich land as well. This time, they didn't treat me like an outsider. They watched Bella, Emmett, and Rose defer to me when it came to making decisions and followed suit. They included me in conversations and the night before we were to leave, I was invited to join them in getting shitfaced.

The day we left, we dragged Charlie and three others from their cells, bound their hands, and covered their eyes. As everyone else said goodbye to their mates in the foyer, I stood next to mine, holding her hand. And when I walked out the door, she followed, never letting go.

Once again, we traveled during the night and slept during the day. Bella and I were on the same guard. We weren't supposed to fuck until we'd been replaced, but sometimes that wasn't as easy as it sounded. Bella made me horny on purpose, throwing out her vibes so that my dick would harden painfully. It seemed silly to whack off on my own when my mate was licking her lips twenty feet away from me, so I frequently gave in. It was also the only time we weren't being watched. Emmett and Rose apparently felt the same way, although they weren't nearly as discreet about it.

We averaged about forty miles a night and six weeks into our journey, we'd collected a few horses, a wagon, a dozen cows, two goats, and about six chickens. We ate eggs and drank milk for every meal, using herbs we'd collected for flavor. It wasn't perfect, but it kept our energy levels up. It also slowed us down. Nearly sixty days after we left the Hive, we landed in what used to be Chicago.

"We can't all go in there," I told the raiders the night we reached the city limits. "You all go get what you can. Emmett, Rose, Bella and I will take Charlie and the others in."

They nodded and split up the locations I'd identified as possible treasure chests. We waited throughout the day and at dusk, entered the city.

It didn't take me long to find the prison camp run by an old friend, Alastair.

"Masen," he greeted as we approached the barbed fence. "Long time no see, brother. I heard you defected."

"I served my time. It was time to move on."

"Yeah. Me, too. This here is my business now."

I looked around at the yard, where prisoners were dressed in grey jumpsuits.

"You need a few more?" I asked, yanking on the chain that held Charlie's wrists. Charlie stumbled forward, his eyes still covered.

"Where'd you get 'em?"

"They're traitors. We don't have the means to incarcerate them."

"So you thought you'd bring them here?"

I nodded.

It was then that Alastair seemed to notice Bella and Rose. He smirked.

"Give me a couple of hours with those two and we got a deal." His eyes scanned up and down the girls' bodies. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end. I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him.

Alastair frowned and shook his head, twitching.

"Back off, motherfucker," Emmett growled.

"Not an option," I added, my voice low and threatening. "Do you want 'em or not?"

Alastair sucked his teeth and gave our prisoners a once over. "Yeah, whatever. I can find something for them to do.

Emmett gave Charlie a push forward. He stumbled a little and Alastair ripped the blindfold from his face. "You suck cock?" Alastair asked. I laughed. Bella didn't. Charlie spit in his face.

"He's kidding, baby," I soothed.

"Am I?" Alastair asked, wiping his cheek with his shirt. I glanced over at Bella. She looked uncomfortable and irritated.

"Shut the fuck up, A."

He shrugged. "You all need some food before you go? Drink?" I shook my head. "Suit yourself. Nice doing business with you, Masen." He motioned for a couple of his men to collect Charlie and the others. I watched Bella's face as they took them in. Charlie tried to look back, but the guard caught him and kept him from making eye contact with Bella. I was glad.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Bella asked quietly as we turned to leave.

"Yes," I insisted. "Do you want him to return to the Hive?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Do you want me to kill him?"

"No!"

I draped my arm over her shoulders. "Then yeah, this is the right thing to do. The man has a sick sense of humor, but he's seen too much of that shit in his life to inflict it onto somebody else. But he knows the fear that's derived from the threat. Come on," I nodded to where Emmett and Rose were walking ahead of us. "Let's get back to camp and see what's been found."

"They've just set out, Edward. We've got hours before they come back."

I bent my head down to her ear. "Then I'm sure we can find something to do to keep us occupied."

~xoxoxoxo~

We stayed on the outskirts of what they used to call Chi-town for almost a week. The raids were more than successful. On top of an abundance of medical supplies, fabric, and a boatload of children's shoes, they also found an abandoned medical lab from the university with microscopes, an ultrasound machine, and electrical wiring. And the most precious find. . . a generator. It was small, but it worked.

The trip back wasn't as uneventful as the trip out. We ran into two bands of thieves and ended up losing three cows. Two were stolen in the middle of the night and another was shot dead. To avoid a total loss, we butchered the thing and ate as much as we could. The hide we draped over the side of the wagon to dry out.

Five weeks into our return trip, Bella and I were on guard. The day was warm and everyone else was asleep. I could see where they slept from where I sat on the side of a lake, watching Bella swim naked.

I wasn't too worried. We hadn't seen anyone outside of our party for days. When she was done, I made love to her slowly in the grass. Her skin, that once glowed white from so many years hidden in the caves of the Hive, was now tanned and freckled. Her hair had grown long and lightened slightly, and her face was free from any paint. She looked so young and innocent. Beautiful.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked as we were dressing.

She pulled her shirt on over her head and sat down under a tree. She fucked around with her hair, ringing it out onto the muddy bank and brushing through it with her fingers. It took her a few minutes to answer.

"Rose hasn't bled since we left Chicago."

"And?" I questioned, even though I knew what that meant.

"And I think she may be pregnant."

I nodded. "Okay."

Bella frowned at me, obviously wanting more of a reaction, but what the hell was I supposed to say?

"I guess Carlisle will be able to tell by the time we get back. Do you know how long it will take us?"

"A few weeks assuming there aren't any more setbacks."

She looked down and sighed heavily.

"What's the matter?" I asked, lifting her head with my fingertip.

"Nothing," she whispered.

"Bullshit! Tell me."

"I. . . I want a baby, Edward," she rushed out. "With you."

I swallowed dryly. Somehow I'd known that was coming. "I thought you said you couldn't."

"I can't. At least, I never have been. But before we left, Carlisle said your blood had changed. Maybe. . . maybe whatever it is that's changed can. . ." She looked away and flicked her tongue at her viper bites. "Maybe things are different with you."

"Maybe," I agreed. When I didn't say anything else, I noticed Bella's eyes get glassy. I put my hand behind her neck and pulled her towards me so that she was in my lap. "I tell you what," I started, burying my face in her hair.

"What?" she breathed.

"When we get back, we can try."

"Try?"

"Yeah," I smirked. "I guess if I have to fuck you upside down to put a baby in your belly, I'll just have to suffer through it."

Bella chuckled lightly and then sniffed. "It may take more than that."

"Baby," I soothed. "I'll do whatever I have to do to make you happy. I love you."

"I love you, too. But what happens if I still can't?"

I shrugged. "Then we'll just steal Alice and Jasper's kid." I grinned at her as she tried to push me away playfully. "Don't worry about it. We've got time."

She nodded and leaned back into me. I kissed her neck and thought about how different life was going to be when we got back. Charlie was gone. Esme and Carlisle had agreed to run the Hive. They wanted to return it to what it was meant to be, a place of hope and rebirth, not of power and indulgence. Alice and Jasper would have their baby soon. Hopefully not until we returned, though. I knew that Bella wanted to be there for Alice druing the birth. I knew that she worried about her friend - her sister. I wondered if Jasper had recovered yet. He was on his feet before we left, but his ninja skills were a little rusty. I wasn't sure if he was going to stay on as my doll's bodyguard. I wasn't sure she even needed him to guard her anymore. Like I said, things were different. Yeah, Bella still felt obligated to help her people – our people – but she no longer felt trapped by that obligation.

There was a sudden commotion above our heads. Bella and I both looked up as a group of yellow finches landed on a branch. They chirped loudly at each other, hopping closer and then took flight to another tree.

Bella smiled. "They're so beautiful when they're free," she murmured.

I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and watched as her eyes lit up in wonder and excitement. Never in my life did I think I would love someone the way I love her. She is my life.

"So are you, doll."

**~xoxoxoxo~**

**AN: That is the End. Yes, I realize there are still questions. There will probably always be questions. I like questions. It means that I haven't reached my expiration date, right? LOL. I know a lot of you were hoping for a solution to Bella's infertility. And there may be one. :oD I am still considering doing a very small epi, but I'm not entirely sure. So for right now, we'll say that E and B try for that baby. . . . a lot!**

**Thank you so, so much to Melee03 and 6dlb5 for pre-reading and catching my mistakes and working me through this whole thing. Like I've said, this was such a different type of writing for me and when I first started it, I wasn't quite sure where it was going. It was more PwP at that point. LOL. These ladies were invaluable in helping me. xoxoxo**

**Thank you to EVERYONE who has supported me; Reading, reviewing, rec'ing and for being so patient. Much love! **


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